A New Revelation
by Envye
Summary: Humans are allowed possessions, yet some take it to a new cruel, and unusual level. How unfortunate it would be for anyone to fall into the hands of Jellal Fernandes, as their fate will be forever sealed. Heaps of angst and future lemon.
1. Chapter 1

_The woman groaned quietly as she propped herself on one arm, her scarlet locks slanted to her depressed shoulder as she pulled her bangs out of her face. She rose to her feet, rubbing her sore and pulsing temple, and glanced around the room to give it another fruitless inspection. Suddenly she evoked the frustration that came from being here and the eeriness that seeped from inside the walls. It was like a puzzle that she couldn't figure out but she couldn't skip it or replace it with a brand new one._

 _She assumed a day had already passed, and boy could she tell by how hungry she was. From all this sleeping she cultivated a minor migraine, and her body felt slightly weaker than before. Erza peered around, what a surprise? Still as creepy as ever and it was the same as she had left it. She paused, eyes wide at the approaching figure._

 _"Wh—"_

 _Almost instantaneously, as she forced her gaze from a general perspective of the shadow to the intricate details of the nearing figure. She was face to face with the veiled stranger. Her heart pounded hard, and she realized the situation was a drastic one. It happened to fast, so amazingly fast she almost had no time to react. There was only an inch of space between each other. All she saw was a dark shade of blue and a mixture of darkness blurring most of her vision._

 _Erza gasped in shock, and her heart frantically beat into her chest. It was like the pent up fear and anxiety was finally let out, right in front of this stranger she'd never seen before. Her feet felt cemented by the speed she was stepping backwards and away from the figure that seemed to mimic her movements._

 _"Who are you!?" Demanded the woman. He appeared from nothing, a man who perfectly masked his presence like an entity that didn't exist in her world. The hood was taunting her, denying any sort of vision on the identity of this figure._

 _The shadow's hands gripped onto the dark cloth and pulled back as if reading her mind, revealing to be the most unexpected of people._

 _"S…Simon" Her chocolate eyes grew wide. "I don't understand…I don't understand what's going on!" Why was the world playing such a cruel joke on her?_

 _The familiar face only stared at her with his soulless eyes._

 _"You can't be real... Simon's dead!" she cried._

 _The voice spoke in a hoarse and spiteful tone. "Erza… you don't understand anything. I've been watching you and taking care of the only girl I've ever loved. You didn't understand, because you loved another."_

 _He stepped closer to the beyond frightened Erza, gripping with all her might to the edges of the bookshelves, now only a few feet away. He watched her traipse along the walls to lengthen the distance between them, and her breathing was louder than his own ghastly voice._

 _"I threw away my life for you and this how you repay me!? You left that damned Jellal alive and all for what?" His voice rose to a shout as he quickly advanced on the cowering Erza. "You let me die in vain Erza, all because you loved the boy enough to do it."_

 _Her voice was staggering, losing much strength as his words pierced into her heart. "No… I… I didn't mean to… I loved you too Simon, I just—!"_

 _"If you had the strength, you could've ended his life before I had to help you." His pallid skin cracked and peeled, revealing grotesque and deformed underlying flesh, and almost a completely empty hole that bore in his chest._

 _Erza tried to close her eyes, but she didn't even have the strength to do just that. She was forced to watch the horrific sight unfold before her very form._

 _"You..." His voice was full of vengeful energy and anger, and she knew she deserved every second of it. She was the cause of what happened long ago. He was right. He was so right that whatever happened to her she deserved it, whether he be a vengeful ghost or an undead, rotting, magically animated flesh risen from the earth to strike her down._

 _"You did this to me Erza, you ended my life… and now I'm going to return the favor." His bony arms moved rhythmically and danced a formation above his head, a screeching noise sounded in the densely quiet room._

…

 _Erza woke with a bloodcurdling scream, her body jerking up as fast as her reflexes would allow. Her breathing was erratic, air entering and expelling from her lungs rapidly. It was a different room this time. It was dark, ominous, and uninviting, yet slightly nostalgic. She began to wonder what reality was anymore because she's almost damned well lost her sanity. She was sure of it._

 _She heard a creaking noise escape the metal bars, and much to her dismay a figure entered the tiny crack, slowly, more of the person began to show._

 _"No…"_

 _She kept repeating aloud, trying to move but found herself cemented in place._

 _No…_

 _No!_

 _She couldn't believe it. She looked at the same, glowing silhouette of the hooded figure approaching from the end of the room._

 _It was Simon again, coming back to end her life a thousand times over. And from this situation, a whole new spring of possibilities of hell existing arose—and maybe this was hers. She was sent here to relive her punishment for the rest of eternity and be tortured for her crimes and all the wrong she's caused in her past._

 _Her mind was spinning over and over again._

 _When she reopened her eyes, she noticed blue cloth obscuring most of her vision, this one feeling much more tangible than her previous encounter. It felt much warmer and less menacing, yet it bewildered her beyond belief. She was at a loss now, her chocolate eyes staring widely at the dark figure that appeared much more humane._

* * *

 **Days earlier**

Erza wandered the streets of Magnolia, winding her way through the intricate roads and paths. She used these routes often and remembered them by heart, and although it didn't feel like long, a lot has changed. She stopped by the old Fairytail building; its grieving spirit haunted the grounds and its rotting skeleton lay there as a waste of space. The interior decayed, the crumbling long pillars threatened to give out under the framework, the golden plate removed and in its place was a dirty white patch of letters. The furniture had been stolen, and most of the property had been damaged, destroyed, or vandalized. All of which she assumed were the doings of her rival guild, Twilight Ogre, and a dull reminder of how low her guild had fallen.

She clenched her fist.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how they fell apart and not a single soul offered support to her dwindling family; and now that they were weak in numbers, those heartless goons decided to completely trample over their hopes and dreams.

She released her tight grip, and broke out of her trance with building, stepping back onto the sidewalk.

Though the problem had been taken care of, it didn't change the impression the rest of the world had on Fairytail. For the past seven years, they repeatedly came in last place at the Grand Magic Games. Bystanders would often throw a look of disapproval or pity for her guild members, and even now, many civilians would barrage a series of shady glances her way.

Even though her guild submerged into the depths of shame, her resolve stood firm.

From her time on the island, she received an energy boost from Ultear—Second Origin. Second Origin called forth a mage's hidden magical reserve and doubled his or her power, and ultimately empowering the strength of the guild, though this would only be done in exchange for spying services.

And that was all it took.

The participants agreed to this condition, the training, and the unbearable searing pain that came with it. Time was limited, but they could surely achieve their goals, to awaken their new powers and conquer the guild world as they had once before.

Erza felt a sense of restlessness as she wove through the crowd and made way out of the city, Once in a while a body would casually bump into an arm and remind her that she was still awake, alive and moving in this bustling town she called home. She met with familiar faces a number of times, some she looked forward to and some—not.

"Erzaaaa!" A distant voice screamed through the crowd of bodies.

She cast her attention to the advancing figure; it was one of her fellow pink haired guild members Natsu, Wendy and Lucy trailing behind. They were covered in sores and bruises, they trudged along with slight limps, but only Natsu's expression revealed the opposite. His large unusually sharp, white teeth were lined together in a bright smile. He was irritating nevertheless. Lucy had dressed in her battle clothes, and they were always too tight for her own tastes.

"What do you want, Natsu?" Said the knight, bluntly.

"You're not excited to see me?"

Erza huffed exhaustedly, though smiled inwardly at his high spirits. "Of course I'm not."

Natsu ignored it and wrapped a sweaty arm around her neck, hugging her briefly. His hearty laughs showed that he'd already given in to the insults and the crude remarks, long since he met the outspoken knight. Her words were more like compliments to him now, he grinned. She gave him one hefty punch to the head, knocking him back. The injured, yet unusually happy mage rubbed the growing mound and showed no fear to her actions.

Erza pinched the bridge between her nose, feeling annoyed and slightly confused. "Shouldn't you all be training somewhere? You do know that the tournament's only a few days away, right?"

"It's so tiring!" Lucy wearily chimed in, "We've been training with Ultear all day working our asses off. It took them long enough just to let us go. Gray is alone with that crazy woman as we speak!"

Natsu snickered. "I suppose he does need special treatment?'"

Lucy gave him a piercing look, almost prompted to deliver the second blow. Thin red eyebrows rose as she witnessed the fight brewing amongst their tiny group, her patience thinning. Wendy nudged Natsu's form, who in turn glared back questionably.

"Um, Natsu… you..." The petite bluenette shied in her usual manner.

"Ahh—I almost forgot!" He grinned mischievously. "That gloomy friend of yours wanted me to give this to you." He handed her a folded slip of paper, stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

"Who?" A confused look flashed on her face.

"Oh you know—Je…Gerard?"

"Jellal, you _mean_?" She sighed and snatched the letter from him. Her fingers unfolded the sheet of white with care, her caramel eyes darted along each line curiously.

 _'_ _Dear Ms. Scarlet,_

 _By now, you will have already returned to your home town, Magnolia and what was left of your guild. Ultear has taken the liberty of training your friends, and hone their skills of 'Second Origin.' She will continue to train them until they're ready enough to participate in the upcoming tournament. As you may have heard from Ultear, my memory had finally been restored six years ago. I remember all of it._

 _Her mind trailed off, cracking open a dangerous closet she had long locked years ago._

 _'—_ _there are things I'd like to discuss with you. Whenever you feel ready, please meet me at the entrance gates of Magnolia. I'll be waiting._

Signed, _Jellal Fernandez.'_

She was speechless.


	2. Chapter 2

The scent of pine and burnt wood flowed to her nose, not something she particularly liked, but much more refreshing and new to her senses. She wore the usual rimmed torso carved with metal, her blue skirt and supple knee length boots. She silently grinned in relief, knowing she had nothing heavy to care for. Jellal, on the other hand, was fully suited in armor and cloth that had to have been suffocating him in this gruesome heat. _Had to be_. Patiently standing beneath the shadows of vegetation, and well-disguised in navy-blue cloak from head to toe, Jellal seemed like a ghastly being, standing silently in admiration of the magnificent nature surrounding them.

The sound of leaves crunching under her boots grew, and Jellal turned to face the red haired beauty. Her face lit up the moment she laid eyes on him. She noticed he was always dressed inconspicuously in some dark clothing or hood in every one of their chance encounters, and a seven year separation was no exception.

"Jellal." A sweet and rehearsed voice greeted him.

"Hey." Casually his deep and honeyed voice announced, his shrouded face revealed tiny portions of a smile that grew by the second. "It's been a while."

Saying "a while" was clearly an understatement.

Both figures had remained silent for quite a while and not sure how else to supplement their conversation. Erza had always been an outspoken woman and she always knew the right words to say at the right moment but it had always been different with Jellal. It was the thought of him being there right in front of her, it changed the way she conducted herself, afraid of saying the wrong things and acting the wrong way around him. She heard him speak again in quiet yet calming voice.

"I take it you received my letter. I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd be joining me today."

He proceeded to pull his hood back and revealed the nostalgic features he harbored and it struck like an explosion of the past. The man's youth slightly escaped him, though his disposition remained as vigilant as ever, and his now longer fine blue locks framed his sharp and impassive face and a prominent crimson tattoo permanently seared onto his right cheek. The woman found herself lured into the depths of his enigmatic green eyes as he addressed her so formally.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't come to see you after so long?" She declared, and a bit appalled.

"I'm grateful for that, Erza." He thanked her softly and avoided the trouble of replying to her statement literally.

The sound of her name dancing off the tip of his tongue made the woman feel warm _and_ uneasy all at once. With her own set of observant caramel eyes she could assume from his brooding face that he was having a hard time accepting the reality that the woman he once tried to kill was standing right before him and of her own free will of course. She couldn't care less about that anymore. She wanted him to feel reassure and that the woman won't attack him for any of the past misgivings he had conducted.

For several moments they continued to muse in awkward silence, giving each other a thorough inspection of their physical traits. Erza cleared her throat. She _needed_ to lighten the mood between them. What could she do in a situation like this? Are they just going to stare at each other like this now? She paused with an entirely new topic.

"Well…uh… the guild is starting to build up again. Want to take a look around the new headquarters?"

"I'm…sorry but I don't think your friends would take too kindly to a person like me." The man wheeled his head to the direction of the hidden Fairytail building, "But I managed to take a quick peek at it as I was strolling by, and I think the place looks _great_."

This earned him a smile from the scarlet knight, to which he replied with his own. How unusual for the two to be referring to her guild in such a casual manner, Erza had to rove in it over in her mind a few times for it to make any sort of sense.

"Want to take a look around town? I heard they renovated a few new sweet shops worth visiting and—

"Honestly I would but—" He interrupted in his soft charismatic tone, and to her dismay, "I think we'd run into a similar situation."

The shy expression was dancing all over her features, thwarting her chance to reply with something sufficiently sensible in anyone's ears.

 _What kind of idiotic question was that?_

It wasn't that he'd been trying to avoid her, but there was no doubt the magic council would find him within a matter of minutes at most, he'd walk into town and the second a guard spotted even an inkling of his trademark tattoo and it would be all over for him. A man like Jellal couldn't go easily unnoticed around the masses, and even though he was famous, there were repercussions to such a reality. She clenched her fist. No matter how long she had known this man, she had never had any idea how to react with him, almost as if she were reduced to a hopeless schoolgirl.

 _What could she say?_

As if a heaven's most generous angel sent a miracle to earth and cast it down on a human, it would have been for Erza at that moment. The man offered and extended one of his arms to the canopy of green expanding from opposite of the town. The branded knight cast her attention along the impressive spread of nature.

It was perfect. There was no one to interrupt them—or her for that matter of fact. She had a lot of things to say to this man!

Erza nodded in accordance, as she followed her childhood friend down a rural dirt road.

The sun was shining magnificently from above, beating down on their heated faces as a cruel joke to their situation. They quietly trekked along the ocean of green blades, particularly to Erza; it had been avoiding ferocious tree branches that would threaten to smack her in the face. In one alarming moment she imagined Jellal witnessing that kind of embarrassment firsthand and cringed inwardly.

Their journey was quiet and contemplative, and consisted of many stops and rests, and admirations of the beautiful nature surrounding them. As they ventured through the thick green blanket of undergrowth, nostalgia's waves crashed harder and harder. There was the same hillside ditch; it was her go to place whenever she needed a secluded spot to cry. She spotted familiar motley of flower heads that would poke just above the grass fields that scratched her legs often, further along the path were rows of peeled trees that bore a thousand slices and carvings; they refused to be knocked down from the wrath of her deadly swords. To the side was an old, decaying log long softened by rot, and clumps of boulder chunks spotted with moss, and everything surrounded by the whizzing chirr of insects. This was where she used to train when she was younger, often she loved to be alone and practice her swordplay.

Yeah, it was awkward for them both…but the more their exploration progressed, the less they could unwind such tight feelings. She would show him every spot she loved to visit as a young, fledgling requip knight, and left no room for an unstated experience of the past. It was disturbing yet interesting to see his reactions to her liberated freedom around Magnolia after she had left the tower long ago. Being so far away from her guild, in such a place with a man she hadn't even once thought about visiting anywhere with was certainly not in her plans. It was just... the way everything played out was so...

Unfathomable.

…

A few hours later, and the sun proved to have sucked the energy from their bodies by the time it set. The air around them was dry and warm like it had always been in this part of the country. Jellal narrowed his eyes, and sharpened his vision to the nature surrounding them, and promptly turned his attention to the dense clump of trees in front of him as an area of rest. They took a short break, resting on a rustic bench under the cool grasping shade of the foliage. Her chocolate eyes detected the hooded mage take a seat right beside her, the metal shells of his trench coat clanked against the wood as he proceeded to make himself comfortable.

The silence unfolded for a few more moments, it had taken place since neither of the two mages had any idea what to say to each other. _Perhaps silence was the best conversation?_

She took the time to expand her assumptions about the dark mage, and if they should be allowed. He appeared the same, but his actions represented the different entirety living inside his shell of a body. Yet the more time she took the less of a chance she had to expel her thoughts and feelings. This was probably going to be the last intimate encounter she was going to have with Jellal, sadly to say.

"Do you remember it?" She blurted out as the thoughts of him had been weighing her mind down. Her heart was unusually constricted—tighter and tighter it went the more she spoke with him.

He paused briefly at her question, and looked into her innocent, naïve eyes. "I remember everything..." He murmured softly, expecting these words to come out sooner or later. "I killed Simon."

The atmosphere around them had suddenly gone darker, and it had only been fitting to their surroundings, as the dusk-lit forest could barely reflect the light from above. Erza remained just as silent. What she had gone through—it wasn't normal. No man or woman would be able to have a clear conscious nearing brink of the valley of dementia. It was far worse than hell, no, it was much more than that. It was her childhood that she could never regain. She could never undo what has already been done to her innocence, to her purity and the potential for her to ever become a human being to live life to the fullest. As a child, she was never allowed the luxury of holding her parents hands while walking through the sandy beach, playing with stuffed animals she received for her birthday, or even less to cherish a family photo to capture the happiest times of her life. She never had a happy child's life.

She had a slave's life.

And maybe she did feel like crying, maybe she did feel like letting her tears out because she never had the time to. She never let her feelings spill out for the world to see, because she never wanted anyone to know how weak she really was without her armor. She never wanted anyone to know how terribly she suffered inside that god awful tower, never wanting anyone the burden of a more fortunate life. And more importantly she was too stubborn to. Even if it was one eye she was crying out of, that in itself would be reminder of the torture and insanity she had undergone. She had a permanent scar, an artificial right eye that could never shed another tear again and at least halve the sadness that would pour down her cheeks.

Her fist clenched.

She was an idiot for even thinking about this.

She was sick of lingering in the past and dwelling on her past troubles, hoping that it would make her feel better in any way. Her past made her a survivor. It made her strong. It made her independent. And the worst part of it was that it took so long for the woman to realize the true reality of the situation. In a way, it was a mother who in the harshest of ways trained the girl to last in this world. How else could she have learned what evil truly was? Or what it's like to lose someone you love? Or what it's like to be betrayed and left alone? These experiences stacked up on one another and eventually hardened her disposition over the years. Without the incessant fears and horrors being spoon fed into her mouth, she never would've been the dauntless person she is now. True strength and resolution she was, not an ignorant, beautiful little fool.

The man continued in his gloomy tone. "Two friends of mine that you've already met—Ultear, Meredy, they broke me out of prison… if you're wondering how I've escaped. We formed a guild of our own in its purpose of destroying other dark guilds. _Crime Sorciere_. It was about a year after I had escaped prison. It wasn't pleasant, however it allowed for me to come to terms with myself. "

 _What did he mean?_

"And what are those terms?"

"To destroy other dark guilds so that those in the light may prosper." The dark mage sealed his eyelids as he continued in a steady pace, letting a small breath escape his chest. "And the other is to atone for my sins."

"That's amazing!" the woman praised. This withdrawn and perplexing man had found it within himself to create a guild to help others in need. He was blossoming and slowly collecting the ambience of the young boy she once knew as a child, causing the woman to smile to herself. Fading sunlight shone in lined blotches, as it had been filtered by the looming tree tops that met high overhead. The wind ruffled their clothes, violently whipping Erza's bright red hair around the sides of her face.

His hood was shrugged back over his head _._ He wore it ever since the start of their journey, the beginnings of the road from Magnolia, and all the way up to this point—even before they reunited.Erza faltered at the thought of him having to conceal his identity for the rest of life, and a sad reality that was.

The woman scanned the untamed natural world, engulfing her all around perspective. It was quiet and primordial outside the town she buried herself so deep into. This was a place she would visit often as a child, as a way to vent out her past troubles and fears, and to take out her anger on inanimate objects. A lot good it did her. And that wasn't sarcasm; it really did shape up her drive to carry on through the cruel, cruel world.

She felt like the forest was whispering to her, through its bustling leaves and whistling winds, lightly tapping anything it could in the tangible world. It was as if the forest was trying to tell her something, but she was sure she'd never know.

His mouth turned down at the corners, letting his fore arm blanket his innocent eyes.

"After my long trip to Magnolia, I've finally assembled what little courage I had left in me to tell you that I'm…" His handsome face concealed entirely by his own skin as well as his navy cowl. Erza thought the man was too embarrassed to show his face as he exposed himself so openly. "I'm sorry. I'm _truly_ sorry for everything I've done."

Her big brown eyes were widened at his sudden onslaught of lamentation and her quivering lips were open and prepared to hand him an argument if he wanted one.

"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for anymore."

I went over and over in my head how I was going to take your punishment the moment we laid eyes upon each other—in person. A slap or two at the very least." He snorted disapprovingly and shook his head. "I have a hard time believing you're accepting me as I—as the—" he paused, waiting for the right words to fall on his tongue. "Possessed demon I've been. Are you not _afraid_?"

This earned him a comical laugh from his beloved. "Scared? I'm not scared Jellal. And you're crazy if you think I'm going to reject you." She blurted out with much enthusiasm. "Besides, you went through all of this trouble to see me!"

"I know you have a deep hatred, burning inside you. So I—the reason I've asked you to join me today was to apologize for everything I've done. Even if you couldn't find it within yourself to forgive me, I would've made your life a bit more enjoyable if not mine."

"No… Jellal, I don't hate you." The woman replied with her own blundering question. "Do you doubt me that much?"

"Well, I…."

The woman sighed at his silence, shortly after an unconventional laugh. "And Jellal, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm surprised you came if you suspected such a thing!"

The frown of his just wouldn't lighten up, no matter how hard the frustrated woman tried.

"I would've been very deserving of such a punishment if it came to that." Jellal wouldn't look at her for some inexplicable reason. He only avoided eye contact, almost as if he were trying to mask his tears of anguish. But there was nothing.

"I've always known the reasoning behind your actions, Jellal. Clearly, none of it was your fault. And to blame you? That wouldn't be fair! And you know I'm not like that Jellal! I understand your situation, so there's nothing to forgive you for."

He looked to the side.

"They _were_ my choices and—"

"You yourself committed to those actions. But it wasn't – _you_ \- deep inside." Erza pointed at his chest, hinting toward his authentically good heart. "You've proven yourself more than worthy in my eyes. You're a kind hearted and truly sincere man that you've always been."

"I'm never going to be that same person." His brooding green eyes were fixated in the darkness of the woods almost as if he had been trying to avoid her, and then he looked down under the dark safety of his hood.

"Jellal…" She sighed. It was like trying to catch loose paper in a violent wind, and boy was it giving her a hard time. Her agitation quickly culminated because of his constant self-loathing statements, and he was a constant reminder of _herself_ and it wasn't something she found so amusing—something she did just so ironically a while ago. "Don't beat yourself up over every little thing of the past. The tower was not your burden to bear because it won't be fair to the people around you, and to the ones who've already been damaged." She stopped short, and she knew she would regret this, but proceeded to give an example. "Like Milliana, or Sho, or—"

His voice suddenly interrupted, but had lowered to a drastic tone as if narrating his own tragic story despite what she said.

"You were so innocent, such a passionate loving girl and I tossed you aside like trash. I wanted to use you up as if you were a mere stepping stone for a more ulterior goals—for which I'd give up anything, and _anyone_ for."


	3. Chapter 3

She paused at his choice of words; a rapid gust of remorse brought some life to her sleeping embittered feelings. But she wouldn't let them come back. She'd already forgiven him long ago, so why was she tempted so easily? How drastic their dialogue escalated in such a short amount of time was questionable. Those words reminded her of the other side of Jellal. The _darker_ side.

 _Was that what he wanted?_

"That wasn't you." The woman hissed, "You were being manipulated and forced into a warped sense of mentality."

He bit back only poisonously as she would've, "I am still the one who carried out those actions, and I was conscious while doing so."

"Just let it go Jellal."

"Let it go?" His dark eyebrows rose in astonishment, "I wish it was that simple. Death is not something one could erase by the will of the mind. Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you understand that I killed Simon? Do you remember how I seared his skin with my destructive spell, all for the sake of protecting his beloved? How I tossed out our dear friends from the tower and—"

"You really think I could just let go of the past like that? You think I'm trying to forget what you've done to me?" Her voice rose quite loudly and her chocolate eyes were stammering. She forcefully pressed her hands down on his shoulders in a state of frenzy. "I will _never_ forget what happened. But what is temporary is the grudge I could hold against you, Jellal. And I've thought about this more often than you think. I've already decided to let go, so please, there's no need to torment yourself on the trivial past."

"Punishment is the only virtue of life that I deserve, and the more I hurt myself the better it will be."

"Oh come on Jellal. You can't really believe damaging yourself will atone for all the evil acts committed in the past? It doesn't work that way, so just stop!"

"You're right. Maybe I should just die."

 _Enough was enough._

There was a piercing slap in the dusk air and there was a lengthy silence was growing stronger by the second. She growled and shook off the pain vibrating in her numb hand, and caught herself in the process before giving him another lesson of who gets to be the superior one here. _There_ was the slap he always wanted. But the act of punishment wasn't intended for his past self, but the brooding, pitiful, and irritating man slouching before her.

He simply glared into the direction his face was forced to turn, a burning redness had been etched onto his cheek. Promptly Jellal returned his attention to the furious Erza, her heartbeat striving for a moments of rest.

It was surprising, really, how he could push to her utmost limits, and now provoking any strikes to be used on him. She began wondering if Jellal secretly wanted her to punish him for his mistakes, because he thought that's what he deserved. But that was wrong thinking on his part, and she wouldn't punish him because he's already repented for his sins. She was only there to keep him inline and that's all the mattered.

Before she continued, he glanced to the same side he'd been giving his unyielding attention to, his scarlet tattoo shaded by the poor lighting in the dense thicket of trees. He completely ignored her words, tossing them aside like a false truth. How often does she have to repeat herself before he got the message? Was he that dense? Erza seethed as he shrugged her support off like nothing, and proceeded to spew out a scorching trail of words, dripping off her tongue with passionate anger. "We all make _mistakes_ , Jellal. We all make them like the humans we are. We all learn to move on even if these so called _actions_ weren't under our control. I've already let go, so why is it difficult for you?"

"You don't understand what I've done. What evil acts I've committed… the torture I've caused. No one would understand. And that's why I have to live this way—so no one could ever be held responsible for such atrocities." His eyebrows furrowed, and his charming face glanced back to Erza, taken aback by his change of expression. The emotion, the passion seeping out of him was all witnessed through the eyes of Erza's shrouded vision of Jellal. It was…different. "I'm part of a guild so that I may rid myself of such a past, but I feel that it's never going to happen. You don't know how hard I've tried to atone for my sins, but this stain… It's never going away. "

She felt her heart swell at his words, knowing how much he actually hated himself for what he had done. He had even gone as far as to end his own life with self-destruction magic. Suicide was a coward's answer to the hardships of life, so she never allowed him to take the easy way out. _Not ever._

"How could I not understand after everything I've gone through with you?" She seethed in frustration, and pitiful sorrow. "Why can't _you_ understand that I've already forgiven you? Why do you always have to be this way? Why can you enjoy life as it is!?"

"I don't deserve anyone's forgiveness and especially not yours for all that I'm worth."

"How could you say that? Everyone has worth. _Do you_ understand how painful it is to know that you have such low regard for your own life? I… I want to see your face every day again, I want to talk with you, and…"

Erza paused, realizing she had been saying possibly too much for Jellal to comprehend.

Erza was desperately trying to wipe her rampant tears from her cheek, and she made it urgent that she faced away from Jellal, who'd been glaring with full notice as he had never seen her cry before. The inner emotions were spilling out like an overly filled cup, anymore instigation and she would entirely break down. She couldn't let him see her in such a pathetic state, teary-eyed like sensitive and sheltered little girl who couldn't cope with reality.

It's not that he was shocked, he was just unfamiliar with the sight unfolding right before him, and it was _amazing_. His mouth was slightly open, his eyebrows were raised, his pulse was rampant, and the way she so ardently responded to him felt more intoxicating than he had back at the dreadful tower of heaven.

"Look at me. Erza." Their positions reversed and it been Erza portraying the soft one now. How ironic. His voice unrelenting in all its delicacy, and his once withdrawn fingers bitingly gripped her wrist and turned her body to face him. "Is this the face you want to envision when you think about a positive future? The face that caused the death of a loved one?"

It was true that he'd killed Simon. But it had been no use in mulling over the past. What's done is done. She wanted to say she loved him, but felt the pull on her flesh was just _too_ strong. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled through the mouth to maintain her composure.

"You're a good person, Erza. I don't want you to sympathize for me, this is my choice. And I need you to respect it."

Within seconds, she enveloped his body with indispensible bodily contact, as she was prepared to never let him go. She couldn't lose him too. She couldn't assume the burden of the loss of life, on her hands once again. Tightly she gripped around his firm shoulders and gently pressed her face against his chest.

"Er—" The man breathed part of her name in a swaying voice.

His life wasn't in any real danger, of course he hadn't been. But Erza believed since she had been the cause of Simon's death, anything drastic that could befall Jellal would be at her fault as well. The redness creeped upon her features, knowing she would never do this to anyone in any way—it made her seem delicate and it certainly felt embarrassing, but the warm sensation of a reunion was overwhelming for the steadfast knight. "Please, I can't lose you too! Do you know how painful it would be knowing you died trying to protect me too?"

Jellal hesitated before committing to any more movement, since what she had done undeniably threw him off guard—a magical power of hers that had existed for years now. A smirk was growing on that devilish face of his, unknown to her, and continued to shine with malice. His fingers stroked her beautiful scarlet hair, and his other held her waist close. "Well a death like that would be the one last, good stroke of luck in my life." An unrelenting smile danced on his lips.

"I-" She stopped herself. She could see a dark, crimson pattern sharply contrasting his cheek in a detailed perspective. It took the woman moments to realize what nonsensical actions she had committed herself to, and emerged to the clarity of her senses. Erza forced herself away from the embarrassing moment, and tried to pull from his arms once again surprising the man with her impulsive actions. "I-I'm sorry." She stuttered with an innocent face, matching his harmless one.

His firm body wasn't letting her go this time. His grip felt like a bear trap.

"Erza…" Her head lifted up slightly to get a better look at him, his olive eyes were glowing, and the way he looked at her was gentle enough to make her cheeks burn on the surface. There it was. She was almost sired to him. _Just a little more._ Just a little nudge in the right direction and she was _all_ his. "From the moment I heard that you and your entire guild went missing… led me to… an epiphany. And here I thought, 'Am I really never going to see her again? Am I really never going to lay my eyes upon her face for the remainder of my life?'"

Erza held her breath at the sudden returning onslaught of affection, as she didn't expect such a truth to fall off his tongue. His piercing eyes positioned towards her flustered character, his deep green chasms solemn and glowing with beauty. Firm fingers burning at the touch, lightly cupped her cheek to occupy the woman's attention. Finally, he revealed another tiny portion of his thoughts to the woman, as his silver voice continued the narration. Somehow it released the dense pressure between them.

"But here she was, standing before my very eyes like an angel, gracing me with her presence, her mercy, and most importantly: her forgiveness."

His silver words slowly goaded the poor red-haired heroine into a deeper trap, and the further she was encased, the less of a chance there would be to escape. Those words burned into her heart and it branded already permanent feelings into a scar of passion. Many hints were leading the woman to the idea that he was going to kiss her, she could feel it coming very soon and it encouraged her heart beat to quicken just a little bit more. She murmured with her sweet voice, and let her red locks drape over her eyes, so that he couldn't see her tear again.

"Je-…Jellal" She gasped, she was almost speechless as she had been given a rare ticket to a train of his inner thoughts. She knew it was coming, yet still didn't expect it. A shy emotion had a vice grip on her senses, her mind spinning, and a red hue splashed over her glossy cheeks. It was difficult to process this situation, with his finger curling under her chin, holding her face up so that he could place his lips upon hers. Erza followed up on the kiss, knowing nothing could wrench her from him at that moment. Her fingers bit deep into his cloak and ruffled the cloth in the heart of his back, finding nothing else to grab onto.

 _She was falling for it like the gullible woman she was._ He smiled while examining her countenance, the brown of her eyes mixed well with the luminous light from up above, creating a rich orange-red like color to glow back at him, the bright sun glistened against her lovely and plump cheeks as droplets of sweat would form slowly over time. Their lips had been only inches apart.

She could even feel the body heat emanating from his body from such a distance. And he closed in for those lovely pink lips, waiting to be taken from a worthy champion. Rough and alienated lips crashed upon hers in a possessive manner. On another aspect, a kiss was something he had not been expecting from Erza—raw and innocent in all her motives. The outcome was more like something along the lines of a slap, or even a punch to the face as compensation for his past expenditures. Moments pass, and Jellal finally cut the rope of intimacy.

A long finger was placed on his upturning lips as the two visibly shy creatures paced apart in unison. Jellal stood patiently, glaring at her with astute eyes while he waited for her to compose herself. Air hungrily came and went in and out of her body followed by a stray hand lightly brushing her now utilized lips. She was coated in scarlet—her hair, her cheeks, her nose, her lips, and her nose as she tilted her head back.

This was something he should've done long ago, and certainly regretted not doing it at the tower of heaven. His mind digressed to the idea of lavishing her on the peak of his stronghold. What would have happened? What would the dragon slayer have done if he had seen him on top of his beloved Erza?

He smiled at the idea.

But that was enough for now. He couldn't spoil himself with too many sweets so soon, he had to treat himself with delicious confectionaries, and _then_ devour the main course, as he had long ago learned to repress such hidden emotions. She brought the memories back so easily. It took six damned years to finally break away from this mental lockdown she had on him. Years of experience of refining and perfecting his composure had almost gone to complete waste; as if the woman's secular existence was to undo his, and the daring man had no choice but to involve her in his scheme of obsessions. She was a perfect, porcelain doll with flaming, silky red hair. Such a perfect counterpart to his being this woman was, and her having the flaws that she had, made this woman so perfect for him. Their long history added so much depth to their rollercoaster of a storyline that the thought of this courageous and daring Erza made him want her all the more.

The woman cleared her throat, the agony suffocating her nervous thoughts. "It's getting quite late. I think we should head back to the town before it gets too dark." Her mind was spinning. The inner Erza howled enthusiastically for her to attack him again. Certainly, it wasn't the right course of action and dismissed it.

"Yes… yes of course." The bluenette agreed wholly, a smile still plastered on his face.

They sauntered through the dark forests, quietly, diligently, and revealed no trace of their existence. For a moment Jellal thought that whatever he did to Erza… no one would ever find out. _No one would come close for miles._ An unbroken number of scenarios, as immoral as can be, were spinning in his head as often as he would offer a single glance to the woman beside him.

 _They were alone._

These lethal words repeated in his head, over and over like a broken record. He clenched his fists, holding back his deadly wrath.

"Jellal?" Broke in the woman, his chain of thoughts interrupted by her inquisitive voice.

"Hmm?" He hummed as they reached the outskirts of Magnolia once again. Their sentimental adventure had unfortunately come to a close now.

"You know." Her lovely voice declared, and jokingly continued in the way only Titania would. "This is the first time we've ever done anything like this together. For once we're not enemies…we're not at each other's throats with our swords and magic!"

"Yes… I myself am glad to not have my sword at your throat."

He could feel her tense up around him as the sudden uncomfortable words fell off his tongue. A few words and that's all it took to change a person's demeanor, and he took note of that. His eyes ghosted sideward, deadliness flickering in the opposing pleasant green in his eyes, to the woman he so desperately desired. He observed her carefully, and thoughtfully planned his movements in advance.

She cleared her throat again once her view met with the flushing red and violet hues in the darkening sky, surrounding the skyline of an esteemed town.

 _Maybe he could steal her away in this very moment._

 _No one could know._

 _He could do it._

 _He could do it right now, if he—_

"Jellal?"

He ripped his attention back to Erza, her expression gratifying and enjoyable to observe.

"You know... I'm glad things are the way they are now" said the scarlet knight, relief setting upon her countenance. A lovely smile grew upon her thin lined features, and patted him on the shoulders. Erza gladly reiterated as a goodbye message, hoping that Jellal wasn't still moping about his past. "You really shouldn't trouble yourself anymore."

He protruded an aesthetic smile right back at the believing woman. "I appreciate that you responded to my letter Erza. Thank you."

Erza nodded in accordance, that triumphant smile shining brighter than any star in the sky. "See you at the tournament, then?"

 _He knew wouldn't see her there._

He returned her previous action and nodded nonchalantly this time, and the hood never failing to conceal most of his contriving features.

"See you then."

Following their goodbyes, his dark green eyes predatorily watched every step the woman took as she sauntered back into the peripheries of Magnolia.

The man stood there, engrossed in his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**_That night_**

"Hey!—" The sharp tone of the raven haired maiden spoke within the whizzing crowd of insects. The raven haired maiden held a scornful look for her fellow guild mate as he rejoined the camp and hands resting aggressively on her curvaceous hips. "Where the hell were you, Jellal!?"

"I was out—not that it was any of your business." The dark mage coarsely retorted as indifference would be a word to define his mood that night. His travelling pack thudded against the ground, and the man prompted to rest in his own makeshift seat before being stopped by his peeve of a guildmate.

"You know very well what he's been doing Uru!" A certain pink haired little Meldy noted, her snide remark insinuating Jellal's vulgar actions. She wasn't so far off actually. If he committed to his initial intentions, then maybe her statement wouldn't be so far from the truth?

"You're right. I was with—"

"Smoochy smoochy—" The little girl interjected, willing to mock poor Jellal whenever she could.

"She showed me around. That's all." His monotone voice spoke justly; eyes shut, arms folded back, and wrists working as a comfy pillow for the uninterested bluenette.

"Showing you around huh? Don't lie! We know what you two have been doing." Meredy grinned, speaking for the two of them. Her pink wisps dangled downwards due to gravity, and her face looming far over Jellal, who seemed to pay no mind for her.

He had been unusually defensive that night which intrigued his fellow guild mates.

"Enough, Meldy." Ultear raised her horizontally flattened hand. Although she'd been struggling to hide a smile and she knew better than to act childish. "Hopefully you've been productive in your work? We still have an entire team of mages to finishing enhancing for the tournament."

"What more information could you want?"

"Her 'showing you around' doesn't explain why you were gone for so long. You knew we were going to do this together yet you haven't shown up till the end." Deftly retorted the raven like time mage, crossing her arms. "We could've used a little help restraining those rowdy Fairytail kids!"

"You should've seen them, Jellal! They flop like fish—really strong fish that could whack your face off if cornered into a worse—ugh. If you were there to hold them down, we wouldn't have gotten so many bruises." Pouted Meredy, poking Jellal in the face.

He swatted her finger away like a fly, and gave the girl an irritated look. "Well that's too bad then. I was busy. "

"Oh? Hey Uru—Jellal said he was busy." A fox grin was growing on her pixie-like features, "You know what that means?"

"I don't know. What could it possibly mean?" Tauntingly the time mage wondered, aloud and at Jellal's full expense.

"We have a lover boy on our hands."

"Good… maybe he won't be so sullen and gloomy now. A nice change of pace around here for once." Her onyx eyes gave the nonchalant mage a sharp look following her chastisement, clearly referring to his former behavior.

"There's nothing going on between us." He groaned lowly under his breath.

"Oh, there's nothing going on now is there?" Her voice drawled out in wonder. This excited Meredy quite a bit. Too much to be precise, and it began to annoy the hell out of Jellal. They curiously glared at Jellal, who even then remained calm in such a strenuous situation. Jellal had a way of ruining their imaginations. The very notion that he admitted what he'd been doing l—to admit such a secret endeavor going on under his sleeve was satisfying yet still a bittersweet disappointment for them.

Both Ultear and Meldy knew how close the two lovers were and there had been no shame in denying it. They loved to tease Jellal about his adventures into the city, boisterously asking him if he had chanced upon a visit with the legendary Titania. But there had never been any luck—he would always shut them down like the entire situation meant nothing to him. Like everything else had.

But it was amusing to witness such denial and frustration coming from a posed man like Jellal.

It's like they were planning something behind his back, but for all he knew, it wouldn't be something to cry and moan about. These two always leered toward the annoying, pestering older and younger sister kind of relationship, and he was the awkward in-between brother that the two would always pick on whenever they felt like it. They teamed up with each other quite often and questioned his actions to an extremely irritating extent—but it was fine. He's learned to deal with it. He'll get what he always wanted in the end, as good things come to those that wait.

Starting again, her high pitched voice called for her blue haired team mate and prompted to change the subject. "Hey Jellal?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to all those bad guys you caught on your mission? Did they disappear? You never really told us about it when you got back."

"When?" He answered softly, and uncaring of old news.

"It was last week Jellal!"

The raven haired time mage raised an eyebrow and wondered what kind of excuse Jellal would make this time, all while polishing her treasured time orb on a crude wooden stump.

"I can't remember. I get a lot of missions, you know it really messes with my—"

"Didn't the wanted poster mention something about there being an estimate of a dozen dark guild members involved?"

"Yeah, I took most of them out—but a few managed to slip through my fingers."

The two very dependent teammates paused at his surprising words.

Ultear's observant onyx eyes continued to row his expressions over. He'd been tasked with such an easy assignment—to snuff out a weak dark guild hiding in Oak town, and he simply let it pass through his fingers? How unquestionably suspicious of him to admit such a blunder.

He usually said most were sent to jail and then dangerous ones—they were sent away. And according to Jellal, they were "safely detained in a maximum security prison," but she checked the data books and there hadn't been any noticeable increase of those in criminal related custodies. And considering how often Jellal had been away, it was unorthodox to accumulate such lousy numbers.

 _What had he been doing?_

 _Maybe_ it would be best to let this little excuse play itself out, eventually all these lies will implode on the façade he so desperately composed to a pedestal. She continued to observe him with not much expression on her face, and on the other hand—the little pink apprentice mage was taken aback by the entirety of the situation.

"Jellal…" Meldy's mouth gaped open, shocked that Jellal could let anything like that happen during his missions. He was a perfectly capable mage! His record of dark mage extermination service was untouched by anything short of perfection, so it didn't make any sense in her eyes. She looked at her adoptive mother, who suppressed her emotions yet obviously retained as much shock as she had. "You should take your missions more seriously. You know much it means to us when you go out there and take out the bad guys!"

His darkly shaded face looked away, the constant moving shadows of the campfire swaying on his contours. "I was just a bit tired and all and I—"

"Maybe you need some rest." Ultear's sharp voice cut off. She knew something was up. He was playing with them, and the thought of that made her ground her teeth down to the very core. "You've been in a bad mood lately and I don't need any more fuck ups from you. Especially during the tournament. Jellal, especially during then."

Those words seem to have earned her a menacing glare from the dark mage.

"Uru…" Meldy paused, shock forming on her features at such harsh words to fall upon her mother's lips. "Maybe it would be best if we all—"

"Once we catch the evil being roaming Crocus, we'll get our chance to simmer down. Let Jellal have some peace for a change—he _has_ been on quite a few missions lately." The woman put special emphasis on the duties he presumably carried out. And then she sharply turned to her tent, as well her pinkette who followed after. The two had gone on with their normal activities, leaving the dark mage with his lone thoughts to surround himself with in the dimming light.

This was how it was between the three; it was highly stressful yet the fights rarely erupted into the core of their words. It was always do this, find what we need, take care of this man, and capture these criminals. Yeah, maybe he did receive pleasure from capturing weak so-called dark mages who tried to run away from the vigilante system, those that could never get away. As a matter of fact, he _loved_ doing it. He loved seeing the weaker bend the knee and adhere to the dominant force. And even with such a blunder to occur, Ultear and Meldy will always respect his enthusiasm and hard work—at least in his eyes, he certainly proved to be the efficient operative he was.

But that's how it always was. He did only as he was told to further his own greater agenda, and all for something more—something better and worth wasting his life for. He had grown tired of being chained to their hands like their personal lap dog. But that would all change soon enough.

He smiled.

They know _nothing._


	5. Chapter 5

_Erza woke with searing pains in her wrists and aches all over her body. Her tear-encrusted eyes slowly opened at the sound of creaking metal, resounding within the darkened room. Erza tried to move but to no avail, the woman remained in her painful position. This feeling was so familiar somehow… The heroine had realized she had been chained to a cemented wall, the straps wrapping around her wrists with the strength of titanium. No way, shape, or form, would the requip knight be able to anything to break away from this confinement. There was a gradual pain, slowly trickling down from his wrists, to her elbows, then to her numb shoulders. Each second her heart beat a little faster as she knew nothing of what was to come._

 _Erza choked with a dry throat, her breathing noticeably louder than anything else inside that room. Suddenly, the sound of heavy metal crashed against her ears and caused the scarlet beauty to wince. She couldn't remember anything at all… nothing apart from the nightmares the woman had experienced incessantly._

 _She closed her eyes tightly, furrowing her eyebrows, and in full belief that this one was just as real as the others had been._

 _Cold finger tips cupped her cheek, like a splash of freezing water to the face. A rough thumb caressed her jawline as if she were a child, and continued to do so passionately for several moments. Then, the cool fingers fiercely pulled upwards to have her face meet with the figure._

 _A masculine, silver voice began to speak in a slow and cruel manner._

 _"_ _I'm afraid this isn't a dream Erza, so I suggest you open your eyes."_

 _Her drowsy caramel orbs were reluctant to open—she was afraid of what was awaiting her when she did. The cell was just a tad too dim for her eyes and nothing in particular could be made out, yet it all felt vaguely familiar to her. Her eyes darted to the fingers that latched onto her cheeks, finding some confusion in her situation. Several moments later, after briskly thinking it over and over again, she realized what was going on._

 _It took her a moment to comprehend that Jellal was standing before her the way he was…with her chained down. Erza knew this would happen… yet she didn't. His navy hair appeared black in the dimness of the cell, though his intricate tattoo remained as brightly red as her crimson hair had been. His cold face just a few inches away from hers, his menacing eyes glaring down at her with the insensitivity they had eternally emanated._

 _Her hands trembled in a way that her past, younger self would've exhibited. Those eyes caused a reaction in her… a truly terrified expression that he just couldn't get enough of._

 _She felt…betrayed._

 _…_

'What…what the hell was that!?'

Her seemingly loud whisper ripped through the silent air. The fragile heart inside her chest was beating frantically; the woman placed her palm against her torso and held her breath for a few moments and then exhaled slowly.

The woman slumped back into the messy fumble of sheets, her hair spread about like the rays of a brilliant crimson sun, designing the bed messily. She pinched the bridge between her eyes—a habit she found herself doing quite often and slammed the back of her head into the supple, rectangular cloud. She rubbed her sore eyes. Recently her dreams had involved a lot of…Jellal… in them. It would be best to not tell him anything of this little instance or he won't stop mulling over how much a bad person he was.

Erza tossed and turned on her bed, quickly finding a comfortable side position to sleep on. The events that had taken place prior were much too drastic for her, affecting her sleeping habits in the strangest of ways. Trembling eyes shut quickly, eagerly waiting for the moments of morning to finally reach her the next instance her eyes reopened.

…

Sometime later that day, the scarlet knight found herself with legs hanging over the same wooden bench as the past evening, looking up into the blended lavender sky. The woman took several of her blades and began sharpening them with her leather razor strop, all neatly rearranged in the order of increasing size along the ground. This was the perfect substitute for sleep, as it both utilized the time she could have wasted trying to sleep, and also refining her dulled weaponry for later use.

She found herself drifting off into thought.

 _'_ _There won't be enough time to train for the Grand Magic Games. I guess I'll have to make do with my current strength and hope for the best.'_ She assured herself.

"Erza."

Erza heard a masculine, yet softly spoken voice disrupt her thoughts.

Her heart quickened little more.

"J-Jellal! I didn't expect you to see you here again."

The scarlet knight decided to mimic his actions and survey the sky alongside her comrade. After all, it was a common ice-breaker for situations like these.

His soft silver voice continued after a while of admiration, "It's a fine morning, no?"

"Yeah…Hasn't been this calm in a while." Replied the demure scarlet beauty.

The blue mage nodded understandingly, and in an attempt to keep the fire of conversation going.

She looked at him for several moments unintentionally. He'd worn his usual navy cloak and a Crime Sorciere unformed trench cloak pridefully showing beneath. This time, though, it was a normal yet lengthy jacket with only his guild's symbol a casual form of wear she supposed. His chest plate nowhere in sight and only a white button down shirt had filled the sliver of space between the two flaps of good material. Normally he wouldn't show skin, but from what she could detect in her angle, his prominent collar bones and a fraction of his upper chest were visible. He didn't seem to be expecting any sort of battle that day, an assumption from the attire he'd equipped himself with.

The two remained in a trance of stares, caught into each other's eyes.

Erza had considered responding—had trouble responding as a matter of fact. But quickly threw away such interest and leaned forward to catch an outlying sword on the verge of skidding into a sharp drop of nothingness. "That was close…" She sighed in relief. "I can't afford to lose another one of these!" The requip knight focused her magic in the swords splaying before them and equipped them back into her arsenal; each sword emanated a lucent white shine before disappearing into another hidden dimension.

Jellal didn't mind the change of subject, and was keen on observing the weapon wielder and the short scuffle she had with her inanimate objects, his head tilted sideways as he optioned a desultory glance at the woman. The man hummed lowly, placing an index finger to what could have been his lips. "I don't suppose you've worried about the tournament, are you?"

"No… not at all." Replied the scarlet beauty in a disquieting voice, quickly realizing how easily readable she was and laughed it off nervously. She was a terrible liar. "I guess I'm just not ready to settle in my own home. Everything is a bit off, different even."

His face was enigmatic, it was impassive, yet it implied the man had some deeper hidden emotion that she could never know. His lips just barely moved in the shadows of his hood. "I see. And why's that?"

"The whole world moved on without us—without Fairytail. People were bound to receive such depressing news, so could you imagine the faces of loved ones as their hearts broke in two? Believing they would never see them again?"

Jellal knew that part of this had been a reference to him.

"It's not like it had been your fault Erza." He sighed exasperatedly, believing the tables of conversation have ironically turned.

"If only I were stronger then… we wouldn't have—" Her fists clenched into the edge of the rustic wood, hoping the pain would distract away from any useless tears. She felt like she had endlessly hounded her inner conscience for being such a weakling, and she did it as often as day and night. "What if we don't win the championship? What will the world think of us then?"

"Erza, you will be fine. You have plenty of time before the actual tournament starts."

"Yeah, but here's the thing. Everyone else had time to train while we only have a few days!"

"It isn't simply just a battle ground, you have to partake in tests of the mind as well—and that isn't something that you can learn. It's accumulative knowledge, and I, for one, believe you excel in that category."

She smiled brightly at the statement. "W-well… I'm flattered, but that doesn't account for the rest of my team. Natsu and Gray are dimwits. Lucy is the only one I can count on in that department, yet she can't function too well in the heat of a fight. And I'm not too sure about Wendy." She growled in exasperation and flung her face into her palms. "Nothing seems to work. I don't know what to do Jellal!"

"There's no point in worrying about what the world thinks of your guild, as long as the fact that you're unrivaled remains true to yourself."

"Yet there is always a possibility of being humiliated in front of an entire city." Her hands then shifted and interlocked with each other and then as a platform for her chin, her caramel-chocolate eyes glaring absently into the mass of green.

Jellal sighed. "Are you the same Erza? I never knew you to be so pessimistic."

"I'm not… I just… need to think about this more."

A sly smile developed, and tilted his head mockingly. "Are you afraid that I might enter the tournament with my own guild?"

He heard her laugh suddenly, it was a pleasant sound to hear and wasn't often that it happened. The scarlet beauty abruptly displaced her head from the resting position and turned curiously towards him on the side, pallid under brilliant sky, and a look of determination artfully designing her expression. "That's a good idea! I seriously insist that you join, and then I can finally have an excuse to kick your ass."

"Yeah? Is that a threat, Ms. Scarlet?" He playfully continued.

"Maybe it isn't, maybe it isn't Mr. Fernandez."

She passed her baton of attention back to the sky, continuing to admire such a timeless beauty.

"I'll take you up on that challenge then. But be careful, you'll get what you ask for." That smirk of his grew by the second, and Erza did not fail to notice it. She detected it to be in light of a good situation, ironically, it had been Jellal secretly raring to speed up the situation.

After a while, he abruptly stood up, digging through his hidden cloak pockets.

"What are you doing?" Erza probed, quizzically looking at the blue haired mage.

"Well, you see I have these—" His silver voice abruptly paused as his hand rustled through his travel pack. " _Damn_. I left them back at the camp with my other clothes. Mind waiting here for a bit?" The scarlet beauty watched him traipse along the dirt trail into what she presumed to be his hideout, a curious feeling washing over her.

…

"No way!" Her shrilling excitement was one for the books, and certainly for Jellal. "How did you even manage to catch this? I thought the place closed down, didn't it?"

Her mind halted at the thought of him actually bringing about the topic of the excursion. Akane resort was brimming with casinos, roller coasters, a pleasurable sea side beach and many more attractions. In her eyes, it will be his way of atoning for the stained relationship between them, but as she finds herself distracted with these fleeting stimulations, he would strike her down.

"Nope. Still up and running as far as I know." He decreed, thumbing the envelope and hoping that he hadn't jinxed it.

Her heart thumped frantically against her chest, threatening to jump out of her chest the longer she spent her time dawdling at her tickets. "I can't believe this. I haven't been there in so long! But I don't understand… isn't this yours? Why give it to me?"

The astral mage tried his best to appear innocent and righteous, but it would be quite a hassle to maintain that image for long. The blue haired mage turned away and adjusted his hood. "I wanted to give you chance to relax. I know you're worried about the tournament, so I just—"

Thin fingers held up one ticket and the sunlight shone through the fibers, lovely chocolate eyes quickly roving over the letters and numbers.

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you Jellal. Hey… this expires tomorrow!"

"Does it?" He took one the slip of paper and thoroughly inspected it as if he knew nothing about the date, but was well acquainted with the truth behind it all. He smiled thoughtfully to himself and handed her the matching ticket as if he had nothing to do with it. "Better get going then, if you want to get back to the tournament in time."

"But I can't go alone, I mean I just…"

"Why not ask one of your friends?" He asked, bemusedly.

"I don't think they'd want to. They're all too tired to travel right now." She sighed and clenched the ticket just lightly enough so that it wouldn't crumple.

"I'm not so sure then. I mean, what could I possibly do with this matching ticket?" He grinned, holding his twin slip delicately between two fingers and discreetly up until that point, tilting his face upward in false bemusement, and tapping the ticket on his chin. Erza half-smiled and laughed in one short outwardly exhale, realizing what the situation had come to. It was amazing how simple and easy everything transpired between the two as of late, and she sensed much relief washing over.


	6. Chapter 6

Erza followed the heavenly mage onto the train, but before she could commit to any of that, she found herself harshly pulled back into a busy crowd. The figure was hooded, and a feminine face began speaking to her loud enough so that Jellal couldn't hear anything from inside the transport. The familiarly disguised figure turned away but was back to back with Erza and its head tilted downwards in discretion.

"Erza."

"What in the hell—" Muttered the scarlet beauty, as she came face to face with Ultear, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be helping my guild out?"

"Meldy's holding down the fort at the moment. Just listen to me," Ultear's whispered grazed through her ear, "Something's off about Jellal. He's been acting different ever since he found out you returned from the island. He's always been weird, but… you know. It's worse now."

"What do you mean?"

 _Why was she even here in the first place? What's going on?_

"Erza?" A familiar and disembodied voice sounded through a crowd of voices on the open door of the train. His familiar blue wisps were slowly appearing in sight from the entrance frame and causing the woman to harshly turn away to avoid suspicion. Before Erza could reply, she was interrupted by Ultear's forewarning whispers, her body moving away but continuing to notion in her direction.

"I want you to carefully watch Jellal, and if you notice anything unusual about him, I want you to immediately bring him back to me. Do you understand?"

 _What the hell?_

"Erza?" A firm hand grasped her shoulder, quickly claiming her attention from the mirage of navy cloth. She quickly came face to face with him, bewildered yet attempted to mask her thoughts. His piercing green eyes were observant, calculating, wondering what took her so long to board the tracks. "What's wrong?"

She faced back to the crowd of people swarming the train station, the cloaked female was nowhere in sight. "It—it's nothing. I thought I'd forgotten something important." Nervously smiled Erza the most sheepish of smiles, and she took hold of his outstretched hand onto the train.

…

 **A few hours later**

The two travelling companions were seated opposite of each other, both watching the windows with an absent gaze at the scenery whooshing past them. Jellal snatched up a couple books to pass the time, to which Erza refused his offer to share, and thoughtfully continued to himself. It was that boring kind of genre—science fiction, outer space, and all that gibberish nonsense. She was more into the romantic novels, the more, needless to say, erotic kinds. All of which never ceased to stimulate her very core. She'll just have to do with her own imagination.

Erza found her eyelids weighing heavier by the second, her head slowly sinking onto the cushioned windowsill.

 _…_

 _Her sigh was weak and brittle. It was another day here. Another sorrowful day._

 _Her muscles were too compact, much like lead pressing against her bones, there were tiny pins in her joints every time she moved. Her neck, slender and thoroughly marked, was stiff and sensitive. The soreness branched out to her shoulders and creeped down her backside every time she moved her body. Faintly she could see where he'd bitten her from above. Hickey marks were plentiful on her breasts and they swarmed around the woman's neck in dangerous clumps, also noticing faint violet lash marks around her wrists and her ankles from the chains._

 _There were sounds of chatter in the back of her head. The closer the voices were, the more she could make out one being Jellal's, and the other two people he would be familiar with._

 _"Remain watchful of the coast. Complete isolation of this island is all that I ask for. Understood?"_

 _She could make out any of the words following that, but she didn't need vision to know the two guards listening to him were loyal to his very order and nodded like the dogs they were. Erza's eyes staunchly followed the glow of the backlight, the familiarity of the orange flame from a candle light nearing her cell, and her disgust inducing captor who came with it. The woman sighed heavily knowing who and what was to come (certainly making her cringe on the inside.) He was back to harass her again, and those thoughts caused the woman to consistently grind her teeth._

 _Immediately she shut her eyes. She didn't want to look at that blue hair of his, his tattoo, or be forced to look into his demanding eyes._

 _…_

The train's voyage passed by like a blur, and before they even knew it they arrived at the destination. The duo finally caught sight of the vastly city and the height of their position spanned a whole ocean of view over the panorama. Akane, a resort spot near the ocean, had been an amazing remedy to stress and exhaustion.

 _Maybe this was just what she needed?_

The sun was beginning to set; the air was dry and sucked every ounce of moisture it could from the designated area. A dance of lights spread along the rims of buildings, bright neon advertising signs were hoisted up and pointed to greedy restaurants and vendors. Many ongoers had dressed in distinct fancy clothing, and nonchalantly passed from one division of entertainment to another. There was a busy network of workers, running along from place to place, finishing whatever personal business they had left. Merchant carts were lined along the streets, offering 'valuable' items to sell to believing customers. Jewelry, coats, armors, swords, shields, trinkets of the entire sort; they were traded from person to person whether they had money or something else to exchange. They ventured deeper into the maze of buildings, she saw a sweet tooth exhibit—particularly cakes—and that magnificently decorated strawberry cake poster he noticed caught her eye. Jellal's lips turned up at the corners. He was hoping she'd notice.

 _The metal bars shut gently and in came a gust of fresh air, a new yet old smell she never had really accustomed to. His voice was dark and conceited, and overwhelmingly cruel in her ears. "It appears I have a sleeping beauty within my midst. However shall I wake her up?"_

 _"Just kill me and be done with it." Erza bluntly muttered._

 _She earned a soft chuckle from him and an unwanted touch from his firm fingers. They combed through her messy scarlet hair and brushed it back so that he could observe her face clearly. "Oh, you shouldn't be so cynical. Where's the fun in that? What would be the point in killing you after all that I've done?"_

 _His passionate words were trickery with that unperceivable face of his, and she clearly saw the lies brewing under his sharp tongue._

 _Erza snorted in disgust and forcefully turned her head to the side._

 _He knew exactly what torture she had been enduring, but only thought to mock her in his playfully dark voice._

 _"How do you feel? The chains a little tight?"_

 _He knew she was in pain, he knew it very well, and that mocking voice of his was enough to drive anyone mad. The metal was about to rupture the skin on her wrists, and if she moved anymore she'd bleed._

 _'Of course they're fucking tight.' She wanted to tell him._

 _But there was no use in opening up another weakness for this horrible man to exploit. He wanted to see how long she could keep the game of faces going until she broke, and she wasn't going to lose. Not to him. Not ever._

 _"Nothing I can't handle."_

 _"Oh… right, right. How could I forget I was dealing with the mighty Titania?" A devious looking smirk fell off his lips, as if he was willing to stab at her elevated ego. Not like he didn't have his own to match with hers, however._

 _Her chocolate eyes opened and turned her head back to her captor. They both held very observant gazes of one another. An angelic yet mature and masculine face greeting her way with that smug look every time she dared a peek to display her agitation, which defined his character so well. His beautiful and terrifying face was looming close to hers, as if he were about to close in for a kiss but never did so. His tattoo glowed ominously, and taunted the woman throughout her many dreams of the past, and strangely, she wanted to touch it but dismissed the feeling immediately. The woman had no choice to be drawn towards him, finding endless fascination with his mysterious and deceptive semblance. Erza always felt there was something enigmatic about him, dark and elegant, not even a childhood friend like her would know. She couldn't deny what she felt—and it was her longstanding attraction to him._

 _The tragic heroine loved him… she loved him so much. Then looked away in disgust. That was the past._

 _"What's wrong? Can't even look at me anymore?"_

 _She spat back at him in retaliation. "Your face bothers me. I'd rather look at a dreary wall than you."_

 _"I'd be kinder to the person who will be feeding you from now on."_

 _She hadn't eaten anything for a few days and boy did it start to have a biting effect on her insides. And unfortunately, without the proper nutrition, a human body would not be able to utilize an adequate amount of energy required for daily activities—as it had been the simplest of human natures. Jellal continued, goading her in with the sweet smell of the concealed food on the cart. "The bile had to have left an unpleasant taste in your mouth, why not eat something?"_

 _Ah, another play on words with him. This is how it always was with him, and it was starting to get annoying. Very annoying._

 _"The last time I had eaten something you had given to me is what caused me to be in such a dire position as I am right now. I'd rather not—my dear Jellal." Conceited as her words sounded, she raised her head, eyebrows, and batted her eyelashes gallantly despite being degradingly chained to a cell wall. She had a feeling there might be a catch to something given to her—by Jellal._

 _This earned her another amused laugh from her captor. What she tried to convey to him and how she really felt were total opposites—and he knew it very well. The navy blue locks of his swayed in the bare brush of air, as he turned his head to the attention of a cart with simple delights stacked neatly above it._

 _"I told you I'm not going to eat." The woman reiterated once more._

 _His green and catlike eyes were shrewd, constantly observing every detail about her, the way her chest heaved up and down as she took a breath one after another, her eyelashes as they kissed her cheeks, the way her lovely lips pressed against each other as she graced him with her many spiteful, yet lovely words._

 _"You're going to eat. This is not a request, this is an order."_

 _…_

"Well… here we are." A tired sigh followed suit of his lips, as the two sat down at a bench just outside the bakery.

She twisted a strand of hair on her finger, nervously curling it around to hold her attention. For a moment, Jellal was watching her do this little quirk, his piercing forest eyes staring at the lovely hair being played around with. He caught himself staring at this woman for far too long, and waited for the woman to compose herself.

"You've waited all day for this. I can tell." A mischievous smirk played on his lips as he repositioned his sights to at the glass case of magnificent desserts through the bakery's windows.

"You kidding me? That strawberry cake is calling my name! If sweets weren't a necessity for living, then I don't know what they are."

"Well, it _is_ a shame they're all sold out." He bluntly announced.

"Wha—what!?" Her mouth hung open, she propped her body up, slammed her palms, and used her arms as pedestals against the table top.

"No need to worry, I managed to snag the last slice for you." His green iris met with the side of his lower eyelid, his head maintained a position sideways from his view of Erza and propped up with the palm of his hand. His elbow endured most of his upper body weight as he leaned towards the woman.

Slowly she slumped back onto her seat, excited and relieved all at once. "How did you manage that?"

"I have my ways." He hinted, amused with Erza's pin wheel of emotions.

"Are you going to share with me then? Or did you buy something for yourself?"

"The food I ate before we boarded the train isn't really setting right in my stomach. I don't think I can eat right now." He casually sighed, and cored his attention to the waiter and the last surviving plate of sweetness for his beloved. He then glanced at the scarlet beauty, her delicate chocolate eyes following the strawberry delicacy settle right between her hands.

"Here you are, ma'am." The worker maintained a nervous and polite bow and walked back into the kitchen.

Her grin widened the more she laid her eyes upon the enticing pastry and propped a fork between her fingers. "You sure you don't want any?"

Jellal addressed his reassuring smile, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Suit yourself."

And with that, the lovely lady dipped into her treat with finesse and lust, giving much of her attention to the crafted deliciousness. Jellal tried not to watch her, but the way her mouth moved—elegantly chewing, closing and opening and her lips that often covered themselves in a soft layer of cream—it looked delicious to him even.

He wanted to kiss her again.

But he knew this generous act would bring him closer to an even greater agenda.

His green, intellectual eyes followed down the sides of her face to an even more bright and exotic color to grace his sights. Her long scarlet tresses flowed down her arms and her back, and outlined the rims of her armor. Her dark cherry hair curled around her firm, fitting polished armor, and several strands tucked elegantly behind her ear. It was the most prominent thing about that woman. That intensely red and bloody color never failed to grab his attention.

He noticed the woman loosen her muscles around him, unwinding with the sweetness melting on her tongue. He could tell that she was buried in her thoughts, judging by her expressions. He stared at her glistening features as they changed positions, her mouth closed, chewing and swallowing the cake graciously.

It took him awhile to process the intriguing creature that persisted before him, and he couldn't really believe it was happening after all they've gone through the past couple of days. It had been an eternity since he had last laid his eyes on such a gracefully welcoming face from the past. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

His mind drifted back to a darker past. Before his amnesia, he remembered her beyond terrified face and her eyes glued on his fight with her dear comrade. What was his name again…Natsu?

 _Natsu Dragneel?_

That name was seething in his mouth, and he wanted to destroy anything he could get his hands on when he thought of him. He was someone he particularly wanted to crush, but more importantly he wanted to torture that damned dragon slayer for days on end.

No one will ever be able to lay a hand on her.

She was his.

And his alone.


	7. Chapter 7

He observed the crowd of shoppers packing in any possible space about a nearby fashion boutique. Apparently, there was an annual sale going on that would make some people crazy enough to seize the entrance of the building by shoving past others. His hands reached into the inner depths of his dark cloak to unroll an intricate map of the city, wondering what other tourist attractions they could visit by the end of the night.

"I heard about an armory being situated in this town. The blacksmith somehow obtained extremely rare space metal that could be melded into armor." His eyebrows furrowed, honing in on the little sketched building way on the other side of town. He hummed. "Though I'm not sure the rumors are true, really. It could be made out of paper for all we know." He chuckled to himself.

She appeared to be in deep thought as she looked over his shoulder and examined the paper. "That does seem interesting. But what is space armor supposed to accomplish for me?"

"Well, it would be nice to have a trick up your sleeve this upcoming tournament. Wouldn't you say?" He looked back at her, knowing she loved anything that had a sharp edge or shield to it. Her lovely crimson hair was blowing in the wind, elegantly, beautifully. "Why not give it a shot?"

She was going to succumb to her materialistic tendencies, sooner or later. He knew it.

"Well… I wouldn't mind another addition to my arsenal. I suppose we can go check it out."

"Alright. It shouldn't be too long." He winked at her.

…

She sighed in serious concentration; a gradual seemed to seep into her limbs. She couldn't explain it, but it was something close enough to be compared to a slow-motion human being. One foot in front of the other. _That's all it took._ Really, it wasn't that hard. Slowly, she forced her sluggish body into the weapons site, right behind the watchful Jellal.

Her caramel eyes glowing in the lights of the blacksmith's store, scrutinizing every little weapon—every little scrap of metal up on the walls and on mannequins as an appealing display. The scarlet knight was lost in the island of metal treasures, as all she could ever hope for was in this armory. Her eyes were bouncing off every single item—from tiny needles to largest of broadswords— she had to make sure she didn't miss anything too important.

The pain escaped her for a minute, as one particular display situated in the back of the room caught her eye. The carvings and engravings of the armor were sheen and extremely detailed—down to the intricate ridges of the collar plate. A series of pointed leather plates would be neatly placed under one another in an assorted delicateness. Each plated layer would have some sort sharpened edge to it—almost angular yet round in a sense, as it enveloped the figurine's shoulders.

 _Such beauty,_ she thought as she circled the statue's forged features.

It was amazingly black. Though it wasn't completely shiny either, as the breast plate was just a smooth matte that had never seen the light of battle or even admitted to a faulty scratch in the process of its melding.

 _Was this what Jellal was talking about?_

 _Something about space armor?_

She glanced up, her eyes following the headline of fellow customers in hopes of finding her companion.

 _'_ _This place is too damn big'_ she sighed to herself, realizing she had already lost Jellal to the crowd.

She decided not to dwell on it any longer. Her brown eyes returned to the empty shell of metal. Whenever she reequipped into any of her armors—be it the heaven's wheel or her black wing armor—none of them had as shapely a headgear as this one. The helmet was menacing, and of a previous and medieval era as it seemed to plaster the entire head. The sides were pointed, curved crescents that had ridges in themselves as if they were metallic jagged ears that attached to the entire length of the crown. The face was carved in a sort of a bent diamond shape, to reveal the eyes, yet the mouth and the rest of the cheekbones and jaw would be neatly concealed with delicate impressions.

Her hand reached out to the beautiful panoply of metal before her to admire its texture.

It was pretty cool now that she got to feel it.

She wondered if she could name it the Black Dragon armor, if it were ever hers. After all, it did seem to take a humanly form, yet it retained reptile like qualities with its gleaming black-like scales that protruded around the body. They curved around the figure, interestingly, the way human muscle contour did under live flesh. And it _was_ just as rough as a dragon's skin—well, the way she thought dragon's skin would ever feel.

The wonders this armor could do for her.

She sighed again. _Damn that Jellal, for getting her so hyped up for something she could never buy. With the money she doesn't have._

Startled in her deepest thoughts, she flinched forward.

"Hey! No touching!" A snappy, unusually highly-pitched-for-a-guy's-voice had been directed towards Erza.

"Well I—"

"Unless you're planning to buy it."

Just for kicks, she took a glance at the imaginably high price of the exquisite armor and back at the retailer.

 _Yeah. Not today._

"I was just leaving." She replied politely as she could, even though she had been clearly irritated. The scarlet haired woman left the blacksmith's store as fast as her legs would take her, and waited outside for Jellal.

..

 _Maybe he had forgotten about her?_

The scarlet beauty thought furiously to herself, as slowly sunk back onto the wall. It'd been about thirty minutes. What was he doing in there? What on earth was taking so long? Was he really the type to scavenge for weapons so indecisively?

The more she worried, the more her insides started to churn. They began to feel hot. It was like her energy was slowly seeping away, and she was scared to admit such a thing. She placed a dainty hand on her forehead. She was no doctor, but she could tell her temperature was going through the roof, and sweat beads began forming on her skin.

 _Was she having a fever?_

 _At a time like this?_

Any instance that a stranger's shadow passed, she glanced up to see if it were Jellal. And it went on like this for another good ten minutes. Moonlight had shown through the buildings and for that she was grateful, as the darkness would force her into a completely paranoid submission.

"Erza?" He deep voice fiercely grappled with her mind, and she quickly looked up to see if Jellal was actually standing there—and not a hallucination.

She bit the inside of her cheek, watching him with a stammering expression. She tried her best to hide it. "Hey—what took so long?"

He lifted his arm and revealed a bag with something neatly packaged inside, clearly answering her question. "I had to find the perfect one. I'd tell you, but it's a surprise" He winked suggestively and took several steps closer, and met the beautiful young fairy knight halfway. "You manage to find the armor that I was talking about?"

"Yeah… You didn't tell me how expensive it was."

"Well, I didn't think it would exist at all… but I could buy it for you, if you'd like? How much was it?" A sincere smile was on his lips.

"I'd rather not be in seven million jewels in debt to you…" She laughed nervously. "Besides, I already have too much stuff. I'd be better off without it."

"What a shame... I was wondering how you would look if you were dressed in such ethereal attire."

The scarlet knight lit up like a light bulb, and bashfully turned away. "I—I'm not sure what to say. But thank you... Really." She smiled back.

"Well, as I recall… talking was never one of your strong suits.

After a few moments of silence, she continued with a change of subject. "So a surprise huh? I wonder what—" Her voice suddenly cut off, the sharp twinge of pain travelled up her neck to the base of her throat. "What it could be." She finished, hoping he'd pass it off as nothing.

He plopped the mysterious bag onto the ground and seized both of her hands, innocence roaming over his sharp and caring features. "Are you sure you're okay? You look pretty pale."

"It must be the lighting." Erza muttered, "Other than that, I'm perfectly fine!"

Another terrible roar of pain held her body in custody, the very core of it residing inside her stomach. They would just come out of nowhere! She couldn't possible predict when she could fall flat on her face each step she took.

Her hands abruptly ripped from his keeping to a more defensive position. One hand curled over her mouth like a tent, prepared to net any amount of throw up willing to spew out. Erza found her eyes following the intricately designed lines of tiled road to distract herself from the agony building up inside. She propped her weight against a large dumpster to ease the emergent pain in her chest and waited for a few minutes, as so did Jellal.

"Do you want me to bring you to a hospital?" His concerned words would be enough for any troubled dame in the world. But something wasn't settling in right for her, as she sensed him glaring at her with much intent through the overshadowing wisps of her red locks. He was observing her so carefully—like he'd been waiting for something.

"That isn't necessary, and I don't want to ruin our trip." She said.

"I can get you some medication, or—" There was a sort of haste and demanding tone to his voice—oddly fluctuating into a different personality at certain times.

"No, none of that."

"Do you need any water?"

She shook her head at his suggestion.

"Are you ready to go home then? If you're tired we can head back as soon as—" He asked and stopped midsentence, the seas of his green steaming in her brown fires. For a second there, she noticed a glint in his eyes where he hoped she would refuse.

"No, not yet." Erza replied coolly, propping herself up fully against the metallic structure. The dusk air was crisp and the sun was still barely peeking out to the world, inching just under the horizon. The violet and red colors blended in the sky beautifully, and there was still much of the night left to mesmerize. "It's already going away, Jellal. See? I'll be fine." She beamed, straightening up, and already forgetting the pain forging inside her chest. He'd always worried too much, much like the Jellal from her past.

"Alright." He commented with much worry in his voice. "This city's big enough, and I don't want you to pass out on me—"

A loud, piercing sound cackled in the air, which caused Erza to be startled in her wake. Erza peeked around the edge of the alley to see if they were already too late for the grand show. The city was already planning their night show and preparing the fireworks from what she could tell, as a few practice explosives went off in the distant landscape.

"Looks like they're sending out the fireworks as a practice run. But don't worry; we'll have enough time for the real show." He reassured Erza, who had been busying her senses with the passing crowds of fancily garbed tourists.

That's right... she forgot about the celebratory sequence to end the night with. If it weren't for the surging pains in her body, she would've considered today to be a part of the best moments in her life.

"So where else could we go? I mean… to make it back in time. I don't come here often, you know."


	8. Chapter 8

Erza wandered into a hidden street again, not wanting to burden any passing tourists along the main road. Jellal had gone off to buy them festival masks, and told her to stay put and not to exert herself any more than she had.

The lights began to blur and faces of strangers appeared to meld together, and the buildings all appeared as one giant colorful blob along her peripheries. A stranger's figure blended into the darkness, but she knew it was still there, poised, and patiently waiting before her crippling form. She could see the back of its cloak whipping in the delicate wind, the man silently observing her as the city was bustling around him.

The more she strained herself to get closer to it, the slower time crawled by

Where could have this sudden pain come from?

Why was she feeling so weak?

She couldn't explain it.

Was she going to be able to view the firework show? Was this all for nothing then?

Despite her feebleness, she took another step. And another.

It was Jellal, she realized. And he was standing far enough for it to be painful to get to him. Yet the more she strained to get closer, the further he seemed to be.

 _Why was he standing there?_

 _How could he have found her?_

She wasn't thinking straight.

She found each of her limbs to be dead weight, pulling her very soul down to the ground with them, and it was as though her time had finally run out. Immense pain erupted throughout her body, and it slowly inched out of her center to her limbs in a sort of numbing weakness. Her hands lost feeling as well, so she couldn't grip onto anything as firmly as before. A prickling sensation washed over her legs and causing them to be suddenly weak and unable to support the rest of her weight. Finally, the building that was her body slowly collapsed from the inside out and she dropped to her knees.

"I—I can't feel my legs." She whispered, wondering if this was how it was going to end. "Je—llal" She whispered loudly, a desperate attempt to grasp his attention.

Her voice had not gone on deaf ears, as he caught notice and immediately started for her. As much of his quickness would allow, he managed to cup her body in his arms and possessively hold her so that his arms lay locked under hers. His features were distanced just above the scarlet beauty with much triumph. His body was kneeling to support enough of her weight so that she wouldn't fall, as she'd been gripping onto his cloak with all her strength.

"W-what's wrong with me?"

He only glared down at her, with that same hollow expression in his eyes.

Something sparked in her mind.

Something unthinkable.

Her vision was fading away into a somewhat eternal darkness, as she found her head sinking into his chest. Her vision of his scarlet tattoo waned, yet there was one thing that remained bright and burning in her mind.

 _It was his smile._

…

The moon was a caretaker of the night, and it illuminated the shapes of each building in the city of Magnolia. It was quiet and still during the dark hours, and not much interaction was taking place for the blonde celestial mage. As a matter of fact, it was tedious trying to fall asleep—until a rough pounding against her door disturbed her thoughts.

The young blonde felt anxious, the fire mage was at her doorstep at an unusual hour. He briefly scanned her apartment, which brought alarming confusion to her senses. Natsu was out of breath and normally this sweaty after he trained, and he appeared lost in his own train of thought. He frightened the woman, where she would hold her breath until he spoke.

"What do you think you're doing Natsu?" She was slightly annoyed by the sudden intrusion but let the salamander finish whatever he wanted to do. "Do you know how late it is?"

He brought his nose to various female undergarments, sniffing the fabric and tossing each one behind him like trash. Quietly he muttered something to himself, as if they didn't match what he needed.

"H-Hey!" Lucy snatched away the would-be-sniffed underwear from the pink-haired mages hands, stuffing them back into her messy drawer. "Really, what the hell are you doing!?" She declared furiously, with embarrassment written all over face.

"It's like she disappeared...Luce. Her scent ain't even strong enough."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Who's missing?"

"Erza." His onyx eyes darted to the door ajar behind the blonde, rushing past her. His eager hands reached for a bra hanging on a closet door handle. Just as quickly, she grabbed the clothing and punched him in the head with the force of a punishing mother.

"You dim wit. Smell her clothes, not mine!" She was awkwardly angry and tired at the same time… maybe just annoyed of him. "Besides, why do you need her so badly?"

"She went off to train with Jellal before the games start or something, and she never came back. She promised me a spar Lucy, and it's already been two days!" She forcefully dragged him out the door. She chuckled. He didn't understand a thing about the two. The fire mage wined, clawing at her wooden base boards. "You know I can't wait this long!"

"Calm down, she'll be back eventually."

Peering past her shoulder, she could see Happy in the far back desperately crawling his way toward them. Poor thing. This demonic so-called friend of his was probably training with him to death, and boy, did she feel bad for him. But she knew they'd do anything for each other, they've been together long before the woman ever joined their guild.

Training and fighting was a voice in his mind, conquering his wants and wishes, and feeding him the desire to fight. She had yet to see the dragon slayer tire in battle, much less lose a fight.

She was always quite interested in the possibility of Erza and Natsu going at it. Of course they would brawl and batter each other in short, brief intervals at times, but never a full on battle. Erza was quite formidable herself, just as powerful and strong an opponent Natsu was. She could take down her enemies with her cunning and strategic moves within a matter of seconds, and with the amazing endurance she had, it rivaled even the greatest of wizard saints. Who would really win?

"Do you really think I'd have her clothes? She's a requip mage, so she has her own personal magical dresser to store her armors and clothes." Her half-lidded brown eyes stared at him tiredly, the woman was about to fall asleep on her own door step. "Besides, don't you think you would've caught her scent inside this house by now?

"Well I just—"

She cut him off, agitation in her voice.

"A wonderful woman like me needs a lot of beauty sleep to maintain her looks." The woman paused. "A lot."

"But Lucy!" He whined.

"Good night Natsu." Snapped the woman, prompting to shut the door on him.

People need their space, and Natsu should be well aware of that.

 _…_

She should've heeded to Ultear's warnings.

She was a fuck up.

She was SUCH a fuck up.

Her heart beat a little faster every step he took.

He could sense the fear emanating from her body—he could almost smell it, being the experienced predator he was. Jellal took a liking to this. He loved the way she was affected and even by his very presence, the way she was petrified in his very wake and movement. Oh how good it was to look down upon her while she had been helpless, completely vulnerable to any of his actions. How good it was to finally let his emotions roam free, unclogged by this superficial mask he placed on himself. Finally, he was able to truly speak his mind; at last, he was in the moment he had been waiting for.

At first, she didn't realize what had been occurring, so he simply observed until she got the better knowledge of her situation. A smirk was dancing on his lips, a mocking notion to her knowing she had been beyond afraid at this point. In his mind, he found every second of this situation completely ironic. Erza was chained down in the very cell she had been locked in as a child. And what more befitting of a place for a person such as Erza to be?

In his clever and taunting voice, Jellal began. "I remember in this very room, when you were little you would ramble on about sweets. Particularly cake— I must say—you really took a fascination to strawberry cake."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and bile began rising up to the back of her throat. She couldn't believe anything at that moment.

"It's a shame that you hadn't figured it out. I thought it was quite fitting actually."

"Figured _what_ out?"

I'll let you think about it." He replied, in his soothing yet dangerous silver tone.

"I don't… I don't understand. What's going on? Why am I chained?" She questioned. He was silent, unrelenting and stubborn in his seriousness. Her mouth was agape as soundless words creeped away. There had to be a reason for this. It was all happening too fast and none of it made sense to her at all. "I don't understand why—"

"There's nothing to understand." He brutally cut in. "This is all there is."

She glanced around.

It was so dark. Everything was so dark. It was making her grow paranoid. The darkness was a sole catalyst to her past paranoia and continued to do so, now.

"This…is all there is for you, Erza." He repeated. "This is all you should ever remember."

"What are you even talking about!?" She bit back. The flustered character began to show in her eyes.

"You very well know where we are. Don't act so clueless. I can see it in your eyes, that you remember every scrap of detail—even down to the stones in the corner of this room."

She didn't want to believe anything he said, but it was true. That same pile of stones had been lying in that same corner. She used to play with them as a child. With _him_ , if she were to be more intimately correct. Her eyebrows were furrowing in the dimming, swaying candlelight light.

"Are you not the changed man that you claim to be?" She glared at him with those lovely, chocolate, defiant eyes of hers.

"I don't think you're in a position to concern yourself with such things."

"I simply asked if you were the changed man you used to be." She replied, just as fiercely.

"And with a simple question, you'll get a simple answer." He fixed the candle in its wall holding and shrugged his hood back. The new shifting light would give vision to all his familiar features—and sadly, she hoped she wouldn't meet with them. To be only a man with a similar voice, and a completely different face. She didn't want him to be Jellal.

"Everything you said in the forest…was that all a lie?"

"I only said what was needed to be said." He countered cruelly, tilting his head back to admire her hoisted form.

"And what about Simon? Was all that apologetic 'nonsense' just bullshit you came up with?" Her voice growing, resentment brewing over that pretty little face of hers.

Jellal's impassive features showed a hint of satisfaction, but only slightly. "He was never someone I concerned myself. Why do you get worked up over something so trivial? So far back in the past?"

"Because he deserves the respect that all dead do."

A corner of his lip turned upwards, mischievously. "Or is it because he loved you?"

"Why do you have to be this way!?" She roared, tugging her relentless chains.

Nothing had ever made her angry as fast as then. She snarled, aggressively pulling at her unbreakable chains. If they weren't there to hold her down, she honestly would have mauled him right then and there. Everything he said about killing Simon—it was all starting to come together as complete bullshit.

"You really do get emotional." He smiled at her livid state, and his husky voice was almost babying her now, in a taunting way to falsify his sympathy, leaning back just enough to be out of her physical reach. And he could tell she wanted to strike him down, he could see it burning in her eyes. "Why do you? Do you realize you'll only be taken advantage of?"

"I'd rather cry in public, than be cruel and heartless."

"Oh, I'm heartless now?" His hand dragged down her cheek as a passionate lover would have done. "How can I be heartless, if my heart belongs to you? In a sense, I wouldn't have a heart but…you do understand that I love you, don't you?"

She glared daggers at her captor, much of like what she had been doing for the past several minutes. She attempted with all her might to represent the disgust she's had with him—though it didn't really appear to have upset him much. "If you loved me, you wouldn't be doing this."

"I have every right to do what I am now. You see, I've gone through certain situations—ahh, well. It's all too much to explain.

"What do you mean certain situations?" He had her fuming curiosity now.

"Let's just leave it at—I'm not who you think I am."

"If you were always this insane—then I certainly don't. Everything that I've said…" She paused, looking for the right words to befall her tongue. "… Does it mean anything to you?"

"If I were an open person, I would've considered it. But I'm not going to." His dark voice retorted mercilessly. "Because I'm not going to change who I am on a whim, to please you."

Her mind was desperately trying to find the right words to reply with, though nothing sensible was forming. And her breathing reached a stopping point; the caged bird reached a pitfall and could no longer proceed safely no matter what direction she went.

And that's how she felt.

She felt trapped.

"I don't understand why you are so unforgiving of what's viewed as good or evil." He sighed, and held each of his palms out as if to complement two sides of a balancing scale. "Associating oneself with light or darkness is subjective. The evil doer is right in his own mind yet the hero persists to deny his malevolent ideals. _Everyone_ has their own visualized form of justice, and you can't assume the worst of people only because you can't understand their perspective." He dropped his hands to his sides, neatly tucked into his pockets. "Time is too precious to mull over such trivial things."

"T-trivial things!?" She growled. "Say that I would accept what you're saying. Does that mean a killer who intentionally kills for the benefit of himself is for the right? And not the wrong?"

Their banter would continue back and forth, like bickering siblings.

"You wouldn't be safe to assume either. The world isn't as black and white as you believe it to be."

"Black and white has nothing to do with it. All that matters is if harm is being done to those that are innocent around you! No one in the world would agree to what you're saying Jellal! Have you gone mad?"

"Mad?" He grinned like a fox, "I'd rather be mad than a fool who lets the world mold them into a lesser person, Erza."

"So what! Am I always going to be wrong, and you always right? Just think about it. What you're saying is that what you're doing right now is acceptable as long you have faith in yourself? To lock and chain down a human being in this dark and isolated cage of a room like an animal and you believe that it's acceptable regardless of what anyone believes? Is that not foolish!?" The froth of frustration boiled in her voice. She winced in the pain wringing in her limbs. "What you're doing right now—to me—to anyone as a matter of fact, is wrong no matter what and who says otherwise. I know you're better than this!"

"You know nothing, Erza." He retorted, the words came at her like venom, and his olive eyes bore deep holes into her chocolate eyes. He let everything slip out so easily! Was this truly how he felt, all along? Was everything bottled up inside so tightly that he hadn't the slightest regard for what had come out? She clenched her fists, regardless of the biting chains, searing into her skin.

"I know you more than anyone else in the world! How can you say that? How can you just reject everyone who is trying to help you? "

"What makes you so selfish as to believing that you're helping?"

Ouch.

His chafing remark ground hard, and it amazed her how bipolar he was, at how fast he could switch faces. At one moment he would kind and passionate, and the other, he would be cruel and heartless.

He was already done speaking with her. Obviously they weren't going to convince each other of their divergent principles. And obviously, he wasn't going to tame that ferocity sooner or later. As he turned, she could see more of him. He wasn't wearing his casual wear anymore—the only familiar clothing was his navy cloak and his metallic plating, and that was it. His under vestures were completely black and skin tight, neatly protected by his steel clad chest. They might have been a different color, but they were black as far as she could tell. There was no crime Sorciere symbol either—it's encumbrance of a brand had been erased from his outer attire, just like that. It was gone. Just like his withering morality.

The creeping darkness did little justice to his face, as it had been permanently secured under a navy cowl. She could see the tip of his nose, peeking out at most of what she could see from his face. Some of his colored locks would occasionally brush into view. He turned his head and shifted his position from the rustic grates.

She realized that she was going to be locked up in this cell, possibly to rot for the rest of her life. She needed to get more information from him, that's all she could do at the moment.

"Ultear warned me that something like this might happen." She whispered loudly enough for her captor to hear.

His eyebrows rose, wondering what else could come out of her mouth. "Oh?"

"She suspected there to be something wrong with you, and she was right."

Going on that train was a death sentence for her. Chocolate eyes ripped their gaze away from the blue-haired devil, the woman appeared to have admitted a palpable mistake on her part. He smirked dangerously, arrogance seeping out of him more than ever before. "Yet here you are, as gullible as you have ever been, in the very prison you've worked so hard to escape from."

"This is not a prison, not to me—Jellal."

Green eyes were glowing under the swaying candlelight in the darkness. Erza uncomfortably shifted as she caught his piercing gaze, the skintight chains biting deeper into her wrists. "Words and beliefs will not alter reality in your favor, by some miraculous event." He continued to chastise her on the true reality disclosed.

"I've done it before, haven't I?"

He smiled again, "And where that has gotten you? Not very far. You were better off playing dead on that island than to parade yourself back into my arms again. Now—" he cooed, "does the little dove have any last words before I leave her to her own accompany?" The dark mage deviously uttered, his silver voice was in slight wonder, his finger tracing the intricate designs of the detailed engraved artwork.

There was a moment of silence to even understand what he'd been doing. The air was cracked by her trying voice and laced with mettle and brevity, the sudden vigor and ferocity coming from a chained heroine in distress more than enough entertainment for him. Caramel eyes were as bold as her mouth. "Rot in hell, you weak, sick bastard."

"Brave words coming from a woman wouldn't have a chance to retaliate if I struck her." Countered Jellal, with his entertained eyes. "But I don't suppose you have much choice in the matter, do you?"

"I would have a choice if you'd let me. Give me just one chance. Just one chance and I won't struggle anymore.

He laughed at such a cutely brave girl. His dexterous hands swiftly cupped her chin, forcing her gaze upwards to restrict her ever-changing attentiveness. "Not so fast, Scarlet. Rushing into battle will not solve your problems, and certainly when you don't have magic in the first place."

"I'm only bringing back what's been promised to me in the past."

"And that is?"

"You offered me _one_ battle." She replied, confidence ringing in her delicate, powerful voice.

She knew she couldn't break away from these indestructible chains, not with the strength she assumed at the time. She had often mustered outrageous confidence that would no way in hell be a benefit to the situation—the very persistence that would cause her to come out victorious in many situations.

A miracle might not be enough this time.

His velvet laugh pierced the distilling air. "Hmm…" He admitted. "One battle." He paused, as if he wanted to give her a sense of hope, a chance of winning her own life back. "But the thing is—I have _seven years_ of experience on you. Are you prepared to cope against an experience opponent?"

The scarlet knight scoffed at the remark. He thinks he can beat her, fair and square? Surely not. "You promised me one battle and now you back out?"

"It's true that I held you up to it, but the thing is—I'm only doing you a favor. Unlike you," Jellal continued in his playfully dangerous tone, "I'm competent enough to not situate myself with trouble in the first place." He smiled, amused. "But I suppose it is annoying when someone other than you addresses your own weaknesses."

Her pride was something she was not willing to give up so easily, not without any effort on his part. She ground her teeth and viciously pulled her wrists against the unyielding chains.

"Like I said, you can rot in fucking hell."

The scarlet knight expected a slap, a hair pull, or something along those lines—but what he did following that was a bit more intimate than expected. His lips slowly hovered over her, his sharp nose grazing up her overexposed sensitive neck in small movements. She shivered at the ticklish sensation washing over her body. His lips just barely brushed against her jawline, tempting and the most farcical out of all his actions that night. "You have foul mouth—" His hot breath groomed the delicate skin around her ear and then gradually to her lips. "A foul, foul mouth."

She didn't know how to react to this type of situation, and found her heart batter against her ribcage. Just before his lips could fully conceal hers in a soft embrace, he pulled back, proving to be the most unpredictable beast he'd always been.

Erza heaved out a lengthy sigh in almost grateful and satisfying relief.

He hummed, tilting his head sideways and his eyes followed her features. "For a second there, I had a feeling you were going to kiss me."

"I wasn't going to kiss you. And it's not like I can move." She spat at him, the heat burning along the surface of her cheeks. He was so close to her! She was better off alone in the cell, as Jellal would have left her. His subtle fingers caressed her scarlet locks, slowly and menacing. She yanked her limbs so that she could separate his frame from hers, her calculating gaze remained there, staring into the depths of his abysmal green pools.

"I'd say otherwise."

"Just let me fight you, damnit!" Her heart thumped at a quicker pace.

"And then what?" His hazel eyes, dark in their current surrounding lighting, pierced her even darker ones as if to try her anger even more. His eyes were focused on her mouth, her nose, her cheeks, her hair…everything. At first, it was for a different reason, watching for what other slanders and excuses ready to sling back at him. But then continued to stare in fascination of his childhood crush. "You'll beat me?"

The welded anger within her had exploded out of control. Erza gritted her teeth, and strained her arm so that she could almost strike against his jaw with her elbow, with him being in such close proximity. It would've connected if he hadn't caught it in time, then the man promptly bent her limb back in retaliation. She yelped at the stinging that expanded to her shoulder, augmenting the aches that spread throughout her whole body. He reached for the chains and secured them tightly against the bolted hinges, forcing the woman to let out a short gasp of pain.

"Just give me a chance to defend myself!" She argued under her breath. She wanted to move, but forgot the chains were still there and steadfastly locked on her arms.

"You won't be able to. And you've also had plenty of chances to defend yourself, love."

That really struck her hard in the chest—because it was true. This was the second time he had done this to her and boy was she having a hard time admitting herself to that fault. A wild medley of melancholic emotions emanated from her heart and by no means were they affecting her captor whom effortlessly broke her already broken heart. Had her outer shell of unbreakable emotions been shattered that easily by the same entity once more? What was the point of training for all those years? Had they all suddenly gone to waste like mere stepping stones plucked from the ocean, only to be tossed right back into the raging waters? This had to be, without a doubt, one of the greatest blunders of her life—letting a man take advantage of her. The sheer thought of being bound and shackled made her scream and break into a rampage on the inside. The room was brimming with animosity from her voice; disappointed, deceived and betrayed felt the woman. "You seemed like the Jellal I once knew. You've gone mad."

There it was! That feeling from before. In her eyes, Jellal seemed so… Sinister.

"Mad?" Jellal scoffed at this remark. Powerful hands gripped tightly on her cheek, nudging the woman closer to him. She could see the slivers of dirty gold shining through his forest eyes, and now closer than ever to the man. "And what if I am a mad? Would you abandon me? Would you lie and go against your very words Erza?"

"You were lying from the start!" The seething Erza spat through her teeth in pained exhaustion. Jellal had gone too far and it made her want to rip the man to shreds with brimming fury. "So how could I even matter to you!?"

"Of course you matter to me, my little dove."

"Then why am I locked in this cage if I matter to you?"

She didn't know what to say. Had he truly gone insane?

"Because you're mine. You're mine, you belong to me, you speak to me, and you will only express gratitude towards me—and no one else." And with that, his lips roughly crashed down upon hers in a lustful embrace. The scarlet beauty expressed shock at his words, too stunned to even kiss him back. Her chocolate eyes were wide open, stammering back and forth at his sudden brevity. He pulled back and whispered once again, loving, cruel, and seductively all together. "Do you understand what I'm saying? You're _mine_ , and mine only."

 _You're mine_.

 _Mine…_

 _Mine!_


	9. Chapter 9

**The next day**

She groaned with the aching pains her body was drowned in.

The woman casually leaned her delicate head against the cold, hard cement. She could hear the thud of a routine guard's footsteps gradually fading away in the distance, secretly begging for the sound to return. She didn't want to be alone, isolated in the darkness again.

As if reading her mind, he insisted with a greeting sigh.

"How are you doing today, my little dove?"

Her expression was defiant and that signature bravado of hers was showing. The scarlet beauty was quickly reunited with his enigmatic green eyes in the dimming cell room, and the flickering candle light. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

One corner of his lips turned up—that kind of irritated but slightly amused smile of his. "Well I'm glad you've come to that realization. You should soon learn to adjust to this tower, and those guards—you'll be here a while and I promise you that."

The woman spat, with venom in her blood. "I'm not some kind of toy that you could play around with Jellal. I'm not yours. And you are not mine."

He narrowed his eyes. "So you insist that you have no such interest in me? I don't believe it."

"Believe what you want then."

"I can tell you're lying. I've always been able to. And those kisses seemed pretty real to me." He winked at her, in a taunting manner. The way she denied her true feelings was quite an amusing ploy in his eyes.

"Like I said—believe what you want. You have no idea how badly I wanted to kill you, ever since you kicked me off this damned tower."

Even though it was true to some extent, she had diminished such intentions after a while. It hadn't been worth it.

"Oh?" His voice was inquisitive and very interested in what she had to say. Her threats were mere mockery coming from a flustered little girl who tried to make excuses and empty threats.

"Tell me more about it then. Tell me how I'm still alive after all those years. "

"You've only made it this far because you're a coward—having other people doing the bidding for you." She bit back harshly.

Broadcasting to the world that he would attempt to make amends by fighting the darkness that enveloped peoples' hearts—it was all a façade. She didn't understand it. Why did he try so hard to convince the world of his 'new' ideology? He was a coward. He was the lowest of the low and he lied right to her face. A snappy retort was on her lips, and then it escaped. Something was telling her not to look away this time, it wasn't the distress of the terrifying man standing before her, it was just… intuition.

His face had been uncomfortably close to hers again.

His firm hands took ahold of her chin more delicately now, tilting her face so that his intense emerald eyes would remain in direct sight of her own startled ones. His glare was burning with passion, and the way he touched her… it was the same. The same as she always remembered. It often reminded her of the pure Jellal she'd always cherished and loved, the Jellal she could never get out of her mind. Under all that perceived anger—there was a different story. She needed to break these insufferable chains. They suffocated not only her movements, but her very soul.

Through the split of his most decidedly vulnerable second, Erza's powerful and free knee cracked up the arch of his legs. It was a panic reflex, that's all she could say. While he had been busy with the bursting pain in his groin, she bravely kicked him in the mouth with the other foot. His unsuspecting stature collapsed to the ground like Achilles on the battlefield of Troy. And for quite a while he lay, groaning in pain.

She admired the masterpiece from her suspended position and found herself inwardly smirking as she noticed a trail of red liquid dripping down his mouth. His body keeled over in the perplexing pain. One of his arms was gripping onto his pulsing manhood in order to soothe the irritation and the other hovering over his mouth.

His hazel eyes dreadfully travelled upwards from the ground to her bold features looming over him, and observed the scarlet haired woman with a deathly gaze. He read her victorious expression with frivolous effort and poised his body to stand. Jellal's figure remained calm and collected, and she swore she could see another smile forming on his features despite that ruining countenance of his.

Without another moment's notice Erza felt the immediate searing sensation rip across her left cheek, eyes watering and unwanted tears grazing down her reddened face.

"Strike me again—and I promise you I will deliver punishment more atrocious than you will have ever experienced."

The woman was slightly shaken, she desperately urged to soothe the pain, burning and growing on her sensitive skin. She wanted to remain firm and resolved, trying her best to maintain a poker-face, but he had surprised her just as much as she had. No one in the world would expect Jellal to ever strike her like that—not ever. There was a dreadful aura that resembled over Jellal. It was more like a curtain slowly revealing the genuine being that was hiding behind. And the more she tested his patience the faster this curtain would expose his true malevolence.

She missed the softness of this man. The kindness, the thoughtlessness of his actions and the duty to his guild as a true member of justice. But it was all for naught.

Erza bit her lip to drown the pain away, and she could barely hold in the pain now. It was that toxin that he snaked in her body—it was the mental exhaustion she had been enduring—it was the lack of magical strength—all of these components contributed to her unbearable sensitivity and weakness.

As his ears sucked in the sound of her silence, he took that she understood her punishment.

He left the woman to her misery, hanging by her chains like dead meat in butchery. Like she was a toy only meant for entertainment.

 _How pitiful._

…

"What in Mavis' name— " Bellowed the guild master. His eyes were vivaciously scrolling through the list of competitors for both Fairytail A and B. He compared who had showed up to the tournament—and who hadn't. "They're still not here!?"

"What do ya' mean, pops?" questioned a certain onyx haired mage, who had been suiting his new battle attire as he arrived the group discussion.

"We're missing some people. Erza, Natsu and… Mystogan." Laxus answered for his grandfather—though it was obvious who they were. It was no use in saying that name. They all knew who Mystogan really was.

Mirajane was a little skeptical of the red-headed knight. She knew this tournament meant everything to her—and she wouldn't miss it even if it meant knocking a few buildings over. She wanted to say something, but found herself interrupted by a buff and large looking man with his exceed.

"Have anyone of you seen Erza and the two idiots?" Barked Gajeel, obviously irritated with this new predicament. He wouldn't tolerate tardiness—especially with something so important to him. "The tournament is about to start, so if any of you know anything spit it out!"

Most of the guild had been standing in a hidden alleyway of Crocus, all rambling about and discussing who had seen the last of the three. And there were others—who would discuss being next in line to join one of the two glorified teams. Some of the lesser known, yet powerful guild mates could have easily jumped at the chance to join in on the action, but that wasn't the right thing to do.

Levy, Macao, and didn't know where they were either. They were all almost always either up to date with the situation of the guild, or with them for the majority of the time. So if they weren't informed, then fat chance the rest of the guild knew anything either. And happy wasn't even there—he had to be with the dragon slayer.

So no one knew.

No one had a damn clue, and the time was slowly ticking down.

What if Erza and Natsu couldn't make it in time? Or even Mystogan!?

And why hadn't he even showed up? Wasn't he the most respectable of the three, as far as she had known?

"Quiet! Quiet, all of you!" The guild master interrupted their childish bickering. "Now is not the time to argue amongst ourselves, and we must settle this as a civilized guild. I know most of you will be disappointed—including myself—but we must condense our two participating teams into one like everyone else."

Yeah, that was a solution but... what if they never return?

"But we need them!" complained a little twelve year old girl. It was true. The deadline was approaching at a deadly rate, and they still didn't have any of their powerhouses to participate.

"This is the only option we have, Wendy." Lisanna placed an apologetic hand on her shoulder. "We'll just have to win the Grand Magic Games without them!"

One of the noticeably quiet members, Lucy, had been more worried than anyone else. The internal struggle of her past choices and options were raging about—about her decision to stay and not help the hopeless teammate who had left her in the middle of the night. Natsu had been suspicious of her disappearance since the beginning—and she didn't even bother to go along.

She paused. Her heart was pounding against her chest.

What if something really did happen to them?

Would this mean it had inevitably been her fault since she hadn't helped him in the first place!?

Oh—oh god—she messed up.

...

 **Two days later.**

Jellal entered again, with the same smug look on his face once his eyes made contact with her lifeless body. The cart of food was yet again brought to her cell. She didn't want to eat, but needed to. She needed to survive.

She wanted to hurt him. Whatever this man did made her steam and go off into a silent rampage. "Give me weapons, my armor, my magic back—give it all back to me and we are on equal footing. And I won't see you as such a sizable coward that you are now!"

"Not so fast—Scarlet. I was feeling a little bad that you've had these chains on for so long. But you've only proved that you can't handle the freedom of movement."

"Just give me one chance!"

He placed a long finger to his lip as if in deep thought, and it almost looked like he was considering her suggestion, but taking into account what kind of man he really was, her wishes were a far cry from reality. "Suppose that you were whole—suppose that you had all of your weapons and your magic—it might have been a great fight. But you're forgetting the simple fact that you will always lose to me Erza." His spiteful words were full with malice, and his possessively green eyes travelled up and down her heaving form. "You should quit trying to talk your way out of this, because what you want is never going to happen."

His firm stature bent over and plucked one of the broken remnants of her armor from the ground—its silver decadence struggling to shine in what very little light that had shone in the room. His thumb caressed the baroque engravings. As time wore on, her armor began to fall apart as it was comprised of retained magical capability which wasn't present, unfortunately for Erza.

Her beautiful armor… reduced to ashes and scraps by this abomination of a man, and he didn't even once try to poke at it. It was his fault. And yet it was her fault all the same, for even eating the damned strawberry cake. Her chocolate eyes had fumed with animosity

"Same goes for you." She nonchalantly muttered.

"Oh? So you're saying you'll find a way to escape this tower—who will save you. Your friends?"

An earnest laugh escaped his lips, the genuine and amused kind, but not for the delightful reasons one would think.

She was quiet. She'll find a way out of here. She didn't know how, but she had to.

Fingertips suggestively roamed her curves once again, but stopping just above her lower area no man ever dared to reach. Almost like he was adhering to that very unspoken rule, and if he dared to persist with that action, very dire consequences would ensue. He hummed softly in admiration of the waiting beauty, unseen by mere hand and material work. But if he did, it's not like she was going to be belligerent of it.

"Even if you did manage to escape this room. What then?" He paused, and inserted much of what she had acknowledged as arrogance on the tip of his tongue. The metal was crushed between the cave of his fingers and left to pieces for the cold cement to swallow. He chuckled softly, taunting her in his own satirical way. "Swim your merry way back to the shores of Akane? You're a typical airheaded woman, just like the rest of your deadbeat clan you blindly follow."

"I've taken enough bullshit from you Jellal. An entire life time of it is enough to make me not give a rat's ass about what you say about me anymore. But when you insult my friends—you've already crossed the line." She seethed in hate.

He smiled at this. Each insult he threw was making the anger flow out even more, and he loved to see her so passionate about Fairytail. How exhilarating it is to know he had finally ripped her away from her happy-go-lucky guild in conclusion to the rootless little life she had lived.

"Did the bad man insult Erza's friends?" He taunted, puckering his dangerous features. "Don't make me laugh. You don't need them. All you need is me—someone stronger, powerful and more dependable than that pathetic trash you call Natsu Dragneel."

"The only trash around here is you, you fucking coward!" She spat back at him, the deepest fires from hell had been raging in her brown eyes, something fierce and indestructible. And if it were not for these chains, she would pounce down and rip his throat out for saying things so despicable. She held a form of detest for the man than ever before, in her life.

He tsked her. "It seems your vocabulary consists of only vulgar words and insults."

"They're only befitting for a vulgar man such as you." Her molten brown eyes seared into his golden green .

"Oh, you didn't like what I've done for you? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted me, Erza. You wanted me to take you, didn't you?"

"You're disgusting—a crude excuse for a human being." She heated insanely quick, not realizing how deeply colored she had gotten in the face. She may have tried to appear calm then, but he had a feeling she'd already killed him a hundred times in her head."

"Here you are, with your lovely red cheeks denying whatever truth is thrown at you."

"For what reason should I remain submissive to the enemy? To you—Jellal? I'm not that person that you've always wanted me to be." Fiercely replied the brave knight knowing she was submerging herself into dangerous waters. He didn't appear to be making a move, but it was clear that his patience was thinning.

"You're threatened with the presence of authority and you respond as any willful child would. You reject, you deny, and you throw a tantrum." Her eyes were closed, but she sensed his sharp and intelligent eyes boring into her skull like fire. "I never expected you to express such immaturity, Erza. Wouldn't a smarter person be keen on following their captor's orders instead of digging a deeper hole for themselves? What self-purpose does it really serve?"

She raised her voice and her livid heart in a state of turmoil, a lump forming at the base of her throat. "People die around you, you do nothing, you feel nothing, and you say nothing. I react this way because I want to express the deep hate—no… the disappointment that I have for you, in your growth as a human being. That's why."

"Growth isn't necessary when you've already reached the pinnacle of your existence. Nothing matters anymore when I've already achieved what I've strived for."

She felt Jellal's forceful lips crash down on her soft ones with passionate hunger, ignoring all of her protests and admiring all of her surprised gasps. She tried to lean away from him, however, the chains provided much restriction to her movement. He only pulled her closer and more deeply into his lips. His subtle and dexterous fingers felt for the fabric ends of her upholstery, she didn't sense them at first but they were there and slowly pulling away at her bindings.

Erza shoved against his movements and sealed her lips shut without portraying even an ounce of participation. "J-Jellal!"

Her breathing was coming in ragged gasps. She kept tugging her fists, jerking at her shoulders, shoving against his hard chest. None of this worked. His hold on her was overwhelmingly powerful and enervating, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Her skimpily bound chest pressed against his, her exposed neck curved to the side and surely allowed him access to her sensitive regions. The man's primal instincts grabbed reign of the logical part of his mind, and that body of his was once more aroused by the fragile looking woman. He wasted no time with her.

"Mmh-" He growled, his voice was hoarse and full of intensity. A pink tongue slid between his lips, licking them suggestively, and started down her doll-like neck.

The all-too powerful man had been distracted by her simple and sensual actions, and grinned when he found one of her creamy legs rub up against his hip. Like claws, his fingers were deep in her fleshly thigh and ground it against his willing sexuality. He wanted the other one to wrap around him as well—and then he would be centimeters away from that little golden spot every man in the world strived for.

How long and soft her legs were.

His dirty mind was relentless with visions of her body, reaching full nudity where she would be on top of him. His mind obsessed with the thought of how they would feel if she were straddling him. He bit his tongue to control that beast that was willing to rip her to shreds.

There had been more touching, here and there, and Jellal found his fingers trek along the curvature of her spine—and then—under her bindings. Then, they hovered over the hemlines of her underwear. "You look heavenly." The man paused from his graceful position at the base of her navel, glaring up at her with his forest eyes. Her scarlet hair had been freed from its circular binding, shrouding her abdomen and his face like a waterfall.

She whispered in her fragile voice, a lie she found herself repeating over and over again. "I don't love you, Jellal."

"Oh, you _don't_ love me?" The cosmic mage asked, irritated, though his ego showing more than it ever had. "Your body's saying otherwise." And if to prove a point, he pulled the white lengthy cloth and proved the taboo could be conducted only by him, and no one else. And with that, her breasts remained there, exposed and available at his full expense.

The man grinned once more at the sight of her natural beauty, that dangerous smirk of his playing on his features like a starving child.

Her face flushed to a deep tone of crimson as her ample breasts were exposed to the brittle air. He took her in hungrily, his olive orbs ravishing her nudity like a wolf—and he couldn't help but smirk at the disbelief form in his feeble captive's eyes.

She was unbelievably beautiful.

Another bulk of heat washed over her cheeks in humiliation.

"Erza" Purred the man as he noticed her obvious discomfort. The white bindings were tossed aside and landed in a place possibly never to be seen again. "We've already seen each other in our barest forms. There's no need to be embarrassed, is there?"

That reality alone was enough to perplex the knight. Without a second thought she'd be naked around her fellow guild mates Natsu, Gray, Lucy. Who even cared? They were all human beings and there was nothing to fret about. However Jellal was an entirely different story, and she couldn't explain why she felt so uneasy while nude around him. Perhaps it was the imminent threat of…of…

She was startled when he continued his loving motions.

His crude hands had snaked down the sides of her winding abdomen and up her toned abs…slowly and delicately as if she were a fragile doll. It was sickening that these once innocent hands travelled over her like an objectified item, and despite these unnerving feelings, she still felt no resistance to the hot red blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"What are you doing!? D-don't you dare touch me there!' hastily demanded Erza, not sure if she sounded angry or succumbed to the sensations. He wasn't going to comply regardless of what she said, at least not while her ability to retaliate had been negated.

"Oh come now, you won't have to go through this if you just surrender yourself to me." His lips cruised along a certain vein in her fragile neck. "Aren't these chains hurting your wrists? I know how badly you want to wrap your arms around me, Erza. All you have to do is just say it."

He slowly goaded her in, but she said nothing. She wasn't going to give in.

Those skillful hands of his slowly, but surely, approached her plump breasts and in doing so, caused the woman to blush and bite harshly at her lip. He was going to touch most of her private areas and it had been all at her own expense. He was going to have his own way with her, and she had no choice but to watch and have her body be ravaged by this crude man like him. The thoughts swirled rampantly in her mind, reminding her of herself how depressing the next chapter of her life was going to be.

As If to provoke her even further, two fingers pulled sharply at her beautiful, erect nipples.

This earned him a highly pitched yelp from Erza, something so feeble sounding didn't come from a woman like her and it only caused his smile to widen. His pants felt tight at the sound and sight of the masterpiece unfolding before him, and he wanted to take her right then and there but proved it to be a waste. A work of art such as Erza should be dealt with delicacy and passion, and should not be rushed as if it contained no value.

He massaged her sizable breasts, knowing each one deserved his tender treatment. Her lovely pink buds stood erected and shriveled, and then the man proceeded to lick them to get even more of her desirable sounds. His rough tongue flicked her hard tips teasingly, and sucked on each mound, much to her embarrassment. She made attempts to suppress her noises possibly wanting to appear stronger than she actually was, but he knew the sensations were conquering the woman's insolent demeanor. He knew a woman's weaknesses and Erza had been no exception to that.

Firm hands clutched the sides of her feminine back. She could feel herself being pulled closer to his body—if that was even possible—and his hot, wet mouth leave her now cold nipples. The man pursued a trail of burning hot kisses up her neck and finally, claiming her lips in a fiery embrace. She shivered. The way he took care of her body baffled her to no extent, like he had long been her devoted husband and an experienced lover all at once. Heated breaths swept across her skin, and before long, she could hear his silver voice address her once more.

"Enjoying yourself, my dear?"

With a smug look on his face he glanced up at Erza, adorably ashamed and if he could guess, a small involuntary gasp of approval as he questioned her. The sounds she made were clear evidence that she wanted this, more than he had, and there was no need for a reply, but it was fun to taunt her. After all, this had been the mighty Erza he had imprisoned within his tower.

He smiled haughtily at her powerless frame. Her actions fueled his prideful egotism like oil to a fire.

"Ah—" Erza delightfully gasped once again. The red-head was almost too shocked to move when he kissed her on the lips, but it hadn't been the kiss that made her react that way, it was the phenomenon that manifested from below. As he claimed her lips, the frisky dark mage pressed his bulging groin against hers and expressed the arousal she so easily caused.

Erza noticed this as well, she noticed his own arousal the moment he pressed himself against her, but she couldn't move. Her body couldn't move, though she had been burning hot underneath her frozen skin.

Now, as the merciless captor of hers pulled back, Erza expected to another long kiss to attack her face very shortly, but his tongue only glided her jawline, he marked her soft neck with hickeys and coasted down the delicate trail in which the destination seemed indefinite. Each kiss would bring him closer to the hidden treasure; she feared, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

Her heart continued to hammer at her chest, knowing that her dear childhood friend was eliciting such reactions. She inhaled. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she came to a disconcerting realization. The only obstruction between their skin—a few skimpy folds of cloth. And that was it.

He was really going to do it.

"You have to stop this." The woman whispered softly, and almost as if in utter defeat.

The bluenette paused dead in his tracks and pulled back to observe his ever so flustered beauty. Being eye to eye and almost leveled with their heights, she had a stunning view of his face and the burning lust growing in his eyes.

He stopped.

She bought herself more time.

"I've waited seven years for you. Seven years."

"This isn't the right way to go about this, Jellal." The woman breathed in short gasps, trying her best to center the blurred vision of Jellal, who'd leaning towards her. She knew it was impossible to convince someone whose ears had been closed off long ago, but tried regardless.

"Oh? How should I go about this then?" His eyebrows raised, curiously the man remained quiet for what other nonsense she had left spouting from her mouth.

"If you have some longstanding grudge against me for whatever I have done to you in the past, please let me know. We can resolve them together. Isn't that why we're here!?"

Jellal's laugh pierced the silent air, surprising the bewildered Erza. "You are a traitor Erza, a deserter to my cause, and that is why you are here." He said as the animosity dripped off each and every word, and his lips cruised along a certain large vein in her fragile neck to startle her. The tingly sensation of his lips, they teasingly travelled up the weakness of her delicate neck—it was torture. The stellar mage lugged his fingers along her suspended arms and enclosed her stinging joints, though as delicately as he had ever been. "You don't deserve said happiness; you deserve to be in this cell."

"A traitor to what cause!? Your desire to resurrect the dark mage died long ago, had it not? For what purpose am I defying you!?"

The woman had several shivers ring up her spine as he continued to roam her body, and those adventurous hands of his traced her curves, hips and then halted on her inner thighs. It was all moving so fast for her and had no idea where all the sudden audacity had come from. "Jellal… please!" The woman harshly whispered, and had a feeling her pleas fell on deaf ears.

A roaming finger found its way to her nether regions and the woman held her breath for about a second, having her mind register his sudden intrusive actions.

"It seems that you need special attention down here. Very special attention—" His voice was husky, and it sounded purposefully seductive as it reached her ears.

Suddenly a long finger glided the concealed opening of her feminity, a shiver clawed its way up her spine upon contact, and then she whimpered as the blissful feeling rippled throughout her body. The dark mage passionately rubbed her warmth and gradually to center of her womanhood as he knew that very weak spot like it was an extension of his own body. Her face pressed against an arm, and made an unsuccessful attempt to hide her evident humiliation from the man. She bit her lip at the light feeling that consisted between her legs, and no matter how often she would convince herself the feeling didn't exist, it certainly did. She couldn't fake the ecstasy rushing through her veins, even from a vulgar man such as Jellal.

A collection of moans spilled into the air, fueling her emotions and churning his repressed desires.

His finger chafed against the cloth that protected her womanhood, and slowly, his finger inserted into her covered slit. The finger went in, and out slowly, it clashed against her undergarments but only proved to accentuate the sensations. The more friction caused was seemingly proportional to how damp the cloth had gotten, and also to the sounds that would escape her soft, pink lips. His searing fingers bit at the sensitive of her skin, they crawled under the hem of her lingerie. She had a sharp intake of breath at the sudden rush of air cold skimmed her opening, blushing wildly as she tried with all her might to close the gap between her legs.

Once again, that adventurous index finger of his teasingly rubbed against her folds, repetitively it went, back and forth it would cause her legs to instinctively snap together from the intrusion. No matter. His fingers could still slide through her wet crease between her closed stands and continue to arouse her.

Curiously, his eyes shot up to the very petrified Erza who knew nothing of being pleased in such an intimate manner. She knew nothing of it at all. He could tell. Her perfectly symmetrical features highlighted her round face, rare scarlet hair that he'd come to love so much, her cute, plump lips were being bitten constantly, and her rosy cheeks heated to dangerous levels. He could tell she was very embarrassed. He loved it. He loved seeing her like this, and she never ceased to instill in him a sense of interest.

Despite her ramblings, Jellal gripped firmly onto the back of her thighs, pulled them apart and hoisted them up against her stomach so that he could be given a clear view of her precious jewel. Her legs had been parted like the red sea, and her eyes widened at the thought of him being so absorbed into such an area. She felt so indecent, so lewdly exposed that she wondered if this was reality at all.

Proceeding to the next level, the eager blue mage lowered his face to meet with the object of any man's desire. She was the vitamin, and he was a depraved man who needed his nutrition; it was the only way he could survive now. Her strewed thighs absorbed the heat that was emitted by his face, and the same would be for Jellal as he observed her burning core.

"My my, Erza. I didn't know you were such a naughty girl." Shrewd and insulting words escaped his lips, his smile schemed on in a lecherous manner, and the way he rolled her name off his tongue was smooth and sensual in her ears.

What amazed him was how wet and excited she had gotten, and he was none other than the cause of her conspicuous arousal. Erza wanted to deny such accusations; she wasn't as vulgar as Jellal to be reacting in such a way. She wanted to protest, to speak her thoughts, to deny him the right to speak, but such a thing never occurred.

Her open mouth gaped open like a draw bridge, halted gasps remained in the midsection of her throat, and instead, silence filled the void and the woman could only crane her neck to view what Jellal was about to do within the next few moments .

Erza jolted roughly, her veins suddenly feeling like they were on fire. The sudden action caused the bashful night to turn beet red, her mouth widened as her endearing eyes simultaneously shut from the embarrassment. She couldn't believe he was placing his tongue down there. _Who in their right mind would do such a thing? How could he be so vulgar!?_ Bundles of red hair obstructed her face, and she was damn glad about it. It hid her embarrassment perfectly. One would even confuse the crimson locks with her cheeks; they blended well with her reddened skin.

Before she could continue with her harsh chastisement, she paused. The feeling was… intoxicating. Her insides felt the heat pool around her lower areas, and knew the feeling had been too good to not be considered moral of two innocently intertwined, childhood friends. The prideful knight had been ashamed to sink herself to such an obscene level, it felt overwhelming, it controlled her judgment and rationale…

The sensation was all too compelling, and she found unable to ignore it anymore.

She slowly moved her pelvis closer to the source of pleasure, and in her, it expressed a feeling she could never describe. It was a feeling she had no words for, she could only accept and welcome it. The sensation convulsed again and again, wave after wave it would slowly force her heart as well as her mind into submission. Her body wanted this too much. Way too much.

So why wasn't she stopping it?

Her lower regions were throbbing for him—it was because of that skilled tongue of his.

And she hated that it could make her feel so good.

And now she knew why she felt so good. It embarrassed her that her childhood friend was doing such lewd things to her. It was Jellal that made her do this. It was Jellal who she'd come to love and long for, that forced her to react this way.

As he dipped his tongue through her tightness, inquisition ravaged his mind, wondering how well she could suppress herself to the yearning that he had been handling in secrecy. His spectacularly skilled tongue went to work on her clit, toying and teasing, torturing the poor woman into horrible submission. Sucking it into his mouth made her whimper in pleasure, rolling it between his teeth made her moan like never before.

Jellal responded to her in eager support, gladly he pushed his tongue in the exposed slit. His pink muscle teasingly grazed her pink opening, but as she became familiar with her pink bud of fantastic sensations, he recalled his pleasure making muscle back into his mouth, as if to tease her more.

It was almost unbearable for him, as it had been for Erza, and he considered ripping her through right at that very moment. But she deserved more service and treatment, and so he would work her until every piece broke down. Two long fingers rested on her hidden treasure, and unexpectedly plunged into her soaking petals, Erza, stunned and shocked, sent a shrilling scream into the air as a sudden pain accumulated within her inner walls. They pulled out slowly and sharply back into the warm hole, and each stroke, a stronger wave of sensations shooting out from her womb. Faster and faster as they went, the pain seceded and quickly replaced with pleasure.

Her hips bucked as he deft through a weak spot, her body trembled with the extreme knot of pleasure building in her pelvis. Her mind drew blank when each new wave of pleasure struck head on, and now, any idea of a civilized reaction to her abductor was abandoned. Loud noises were exposed to the air, and at this rate, they would grow even louder. Would the whole tower be able to hear them? Erza blushed madly at this and attempted to muffle her already uncontrollable moans.

Jellal had been watching her like a hawk now; he eagerly continued with his rapid trips through her tight passage, he knew she had tried to bite her lips in a meager attempt to conceal their filthy activities. His goal was to taste and devour, to explore the all the wonders of her divine body. He cherished this girl and he could never trade her away—not even for all of the gold or jewels in the world. Nor would he ever let another man look at her the way he did. She was completely his and his alone. And she was going to cry for him. She was going to sound her pleasures of her possessor, and he would allow the whole world to listen lest they question what it was he owned. She propelled another moan into the air, interrupting his thoughts. It only made him thirsty and impatient to claim his pride and joy, and to claim what's rightfully his.

When she could no longer contain the bliss, she let the pressure go. The constricted feelings were enhanced, stacked one upon another until it all finally collapsed. Her love juice had poured out of her slit, down her thighs, and stained the cement an even darker color around her feet. A song of pants and breathy gasps would fill the dreadfully silent room again, all centered round the beautiful requip knight, chained like a slave to her master. And that's exactly who Jellal thought she was. She was a slave. She was his slave, and that idea was etched into his mind like an unrelenting shackle.

Jellal brushed his hand on his undershirt to wipe away the human discharge, and felt a sense of glorified accomplishment flourish his ego. To further grace his eyes with her shapeliness, he took a step back to observe the finest, most expensive art uplifted in its barest form. He hungered for everything about her. He noticed her lip biting action—one of many he'd come to notice, and he loved it. Soon he would be biting those lips, and soon those lips will cry out for him as they fully embraced each other. She called his name sensually, over and over her feminine voice resounded in his mind. It turned him on even more; in all honesty, it would be hard enough for any man not to show any excitement.

He crushed into her plump lips yet again as he found himself unable to repress his malicious thoughts. Slowly, he became more aggressive. This time, Jellal allowed her one intake of breath and quickly planted his lips above hers once again, the flustered girl gasped hungrily at her lack of oxygen. He felt a pinching pain in his bottom lip, and came to realize that she'd bitten it to force his release. The woman assumed an irate mask; resentful and swathed in wrath this Fairytail mage was, absorbed into receiving her revenge and continued to glower at him with disgust now that she had been ridden of the bliss of an orgasm.

Her half-lidded eyes were ensnared by his fixed, serious gaze, she could feel them roving all over her body as if she were some experiment in a scientific laboratory. These unyielding, treacherous chains weren't showing any signs of letting loose, however, they had been a perfectly secret excuse to allow for the woman to bear the undertaking of such a man that abducted her. "Don't you dare touch me again." The woman harshly whispered through her teeth, her face tilted down but her daring brown eyes were glaring up at the blue-haired demon, all during which a swirl of curious thoughts swam through his mind.

Like a rebellious pup that bit her master in the hand, she did so in the lip to prove her seeming defiance. However. Jellal knew that she had only attempted to conceal such ardent feelings with that of hostile assertiveness, to prove how much she truly hated his being. He knew how she felt deep inside that complicated mind of hers. He knew the truth very well, and that's why he only laughed as her fury unfolded on that distorted yet beautiful face of hers.

The insults she threw—conceited and brave—and completely insistent of her dire situation continued to be of entertainment for Jellal Fernandez. He couldn't stop thinking about how much she changed, how mentally progressed she was, how prideful she was, and how mature and brave she grew up to be. Even though it had been difficult dealing with that bravado of hers, he found it unbelievably attractive to witness it firsthand.

"I don't believe you held such feelings towards me a few minutes ago." A wet tongue glided along his lip, tasting the remnants of the blood from when she'd nipped at him.

Erza hadn't realized the crease between her eyebrows furrowed even deeper as the torturous moment dragged on, and she pursued to chew on her own abused lip. His deep-set olive eyes continued to be of foreboding nuisance to Erza, who certainly struggled to find the right words to say to contradict such an intimate statement thrown at her face. It was true. She reacted in the worst possible ways, and now she had convinced the demon that she had fully surrendered her body to him. "You didn't tell me to stop kissing your neck, your chest, and your thighs." He continued with his onslaught of words, with a look of satisfaction plastered upon his already conceited features. "You didn't command me to stop when I forced my digits inside your—"

Erza shunted the rest of his sentence out the tower and continued with her own fragile and assertive voice. "You're sick, and a twisted man Jellal."

Jellal admitted a short winded exhale and a simultaneous laugh at her serious nature. "You're only reiterating old news. And if this means sullying myself with darkness to get what I want—" He paused, trepidation ringing in his dark voice, his piercing green eyes narrowing. His burning hot finger traced the contour of her cheekbone and down her jawline, enticingly and knowing without a worry in the world, that she wouldn't be able to retaliate. "—then I would do it without a care in the world."

She knew exactly who he had been referring to as her heart began beating wildly against her poor rib cage. The feeling of being objectified overwhelmed her. Her body was not a commodity. Her body wasn't a toy to be tampered with whenever the urge prompted him to do so, and it infuriated her that she couldn't do anything about it.

His haunting face hovered just above her exhausted one, his lips barely brushing against the abused lips of his lover's, and simultaneously cocking his head to the side. And now that her caramel eyes were unwavering and open in their very defiant way, his distracting tattoo was closer than it had ever been. She would try to distance her view away from his uncomfortably close position, but there was a solid cement wall between her body and any possible freedom.

Boundless red locks were scattered around her drooping shoulders, and coiled around her peaking breasts and ceased just above her waist. She was a mess, and she could practically feel it all around her. She didn't want to know what she looked like, and if she were to, she'd just be even more disgusted with herself and what she'd just done.

What was he going to do now?

Was he going to take her?

He wanted her to suffer now as he had, as he had been enduring the pain of not being able to take a goddess like body such as Erza's as quickly as he wanted. His groin grew taught almost painfully for her, and the way she reacted to him stirred the vilest intentions. Despite the pulling at his flesh, the dark mage composed himself, flattened out his cloak and swept his navy locks back. He placed his soft lips upon hers once again, as he could steal a kiss from her whenever he wanted, throwing one last smile at the distressed dove before walking to the entrance of cell. And with that, the metal fence slammed, the sharp clang being the last sound she would hear for a while.


	10. Chapter 10

…

As Natsu meandered through the streets of the familiar amusement park, he found himself distracted by the tempting joy-rides and exotic street vendors. He then focused his sights and asked any willing civilian if they had seen his fellow guild mate. No one could cough up anything useful.

Why his nose had led him here, no one would know. Only Mavis would know.

He only had a few jewels to buy himself a lemon tart from a local bakery, and made himself at home on one of the patio tables. He sighed and was preparing himself to leave after finishing the sweet. He didn't even know where he was, where he was going to find Erza, or if she wanted to be found in the first place. He just assumed he would eventually, by some miraculous coincidence (and hopefully) find her somewhere safe and out of harm's way.

As more time passed, he realized how much of it had been wasted. This was all completely and utterly pointless.

He was tired.

Maybe he should go home?

He let a loud growl, and then slammed his forehead onto the table out of frustration.

What was he even doing here?

He found himself asking the same came question over and over again.

Just as he prepared himself to head back to the roads, a man beyond the courtyard had been giving him suspicious glances. As he entered the store and as he left it had been that same look consenting to some deeper meaning behind it all. Natsu immediately rose to his feet and to the stranger he went, grabbing him by the collar. The poor guy was startled in his wake, causing him to drop his sweets.

"Got a problem? Is there a fight ya lookin' for?" Even a highly tempered man wouldn't blow up so easily, on such an innocent looking man, as he'd only been passing by the Fairytail mage and done no harm in doing so. He just happened to be that unlucky passenger to take it all the blame. And for what?

Because Natsu missed his chance to participate in the tournament?

"Oi! Cat got your tongue?"

"H-hold on! I'm not looking to brawl at all… I-I'm just here on vacation with my daughter!" His jumpy eyes darted to his Fairytail tattoo and back up to Natsu's annoyed face. "A-are you from the Fairytail guild?"

His dark eyebrows furrowed, tightening his grip in a more painful way on the stranger's clothes. "Yeah, I'm a Fairytail mage. What of it? Huh?"

This only made the man more anxious of his imminent painful future.

"W-well… I think I can help you find the woman you're looking for."

And with that, his entire expression changed to that of an excited little boy, rather than a dangerous brute. His powerful hands let him go as the innocent civilian as he once was, and he curiously rested his hands on the man's shoulders, and all the while a wide grin resting on her features.

"And here I was just 'bout to give up. Did ya see her!? You've got to if you're askin' about my guild."

There was enough commotion at courtyard to grab the attention of all the bystanders, all nosily observing their altercation.

"Well here's the thing uh—" the man was a little regretful for even mentioning anything to him. He lowered his voice to something between a normal outside voice and an obnoxious whisper. "I didn't see her, but my daughter mentioned something about seeing a pretty red haired gal visiting here a couple of days ago."

"How do you know that?"

"Well... She kept talkin' to this one fellow about that little guild mark she had. The same one you have on your arm." The man pointed to the wing like tattoo, gloriously shining in the daylight of Akane. "My poor Lydia… she was sad about the cake. You know strawberry's her favorite and I couldn't even—Sweetie don't touch that! Daddy's almost finished buying your sweets!"

"Wait. What did you just say?"

"Eh? About the cake?" The old-looking man brushed the dust off his floral patterned button-down and adjusted his sunhat. He reached for his packaged goods and faced his attention to his preoccupied child doing God knows what. "Well since we came all this way for the—"

"No." He interrupted, a bit surprised since she hadn't gone anywhere with anyone other than someone from Fairytail, either that or going strictly alone was the protocol. But who knew really? This annoying little girl could've made it all up for shits and giggles. "She was with someone?"

The old man nodded. And out of pity he called his daughter over and asked her to recall the story of the two proclaimed thieves, if she had been willing even in the slightest.

"Daddy can we go?" asked the Lydia, the pig tailed, deceptive, and adorably chubby little girl as she ran behind her father legs. She tugged at his short sleeve and whimpered again. "I wanna go home! I'm tired!"

For a second there, Natsu was glad he didn't have any kids.

"We will sweetie. But this young man wants to know about that story you told me last night." the old man continued the change of subject with ease. "Something about cake?"

"Daddy! How can you forget? I told you that a funny looking masked man and a red haired lady—"

Natsu chimed in eagerly at the girl. "A red haired lady? A masked man? How did he look like!?"

"He was masked silly! How could I know?" The little girl looked at him like he just said something crazy. "I walked in here with mommy, and we both asked that man if he had any more of that cake he just gave out—but no. No more! No more!"

"Which man?"

"Him!" The little girl pointed to the busily situated waiter handing out delicate pastries to the diners in the bakery-café. Natsu squinted, refining his vision on the man through the distance of the glossed window, wondering what to do next. If the girl didn't know, maybe he would cough up something useful. Natsu figured that since he was older he should remember more.

And with that, he waved a highly thankful good-bye to the tourist and his daughter.

Natsu waited in the back alley for quite a while, silently leaning against the brick contours of the building. His arms crossed, eyes shut, though his nose highly alert for whatever smells would come out through that backdoor. It would be best to not disrupt the entire facility as he just did with the tourist, and he realized he should subject himself to thoughtful plans in place of mindless brutality. The man's shift would be finished soon enough and he would dissolve this as quickly and diligently as Erza would.

The door creaked open, that very waiter sauntered out and he adjusted his bowtie into loosened dangling strands of cloth to ease he comfort. He appeared to be very suspicious, which was the curious sight for Natsu, as he swept his glances from side to side and to assure his privacy.

 _Why was he acting like that?_

He figured he would hone in on this new target. He would surely know something.

…

 **A few days later**

"Had a good night's sleep?" A smug and disembodied voice sounded, quite grating to her ears.

She groaned and blinked several times, progressively waking up from her blissful slumber. She smiled in hopes of those words coming from a good man and a wholesome lover, but in that man's place was a dark shadow, a horrific man of her horrific past. Realization struck her again. Erza hadn't uttered a word as the food was rolled into the cavern of a room. The figure directed his attention to a guard who pulled the cart across the cemented floor, neatly arranged and situated just before her stationed body.

He smiled, stepping forward to have a thoughtful conversation with his lovely scarlet woman, and his longing arms reached out for her. His subtle fingers caressed her scarlet locks, slowly and menacing. She yanked her limbs so that she could separate his frame from hers, her calculating gaze remained there, staring into the depths of his abysmal green pools.

"Did you have a dream about me?"

There was a sharp pause for Erza, because what he said sounded too familiar. She _did_ have dreams about him and quite unsettling ones to be exact. She looked away so that he wouldn't read the crude thoughts consuming her mind.

"Why do you ask that?" Curiously, the prisoner asked.

"You seemed delighted to see me." A moderate smile danced on his lips, "Have you missed me that much?"

"Oh, I don't know Jellal. Do you think I've missed you?" She retorted, daring not to glance at Jellal's ominous countenance.

"I'd say otherwise, my dear." His hot breath swept across her neck, and his cheek slightly turning so that he was near enough to have his blue locks dip onto the helix of her ear. "I found it… very easy to get inside your head."

 _What did he mean by that?_

The proximity of his body reminded Erza of what torture he could leash upon her, and the woman instinctively shifted her neck and head over so that she could tilt away from him as far as possible. This almost made him laugh, as he stepped back and signed for the guard to prepare the utensils and napkins.

Erza gave a careful inspection, as this guard seemed to be equipped with special battle attire as a specialized mage would, not as a simple soldier. This one appeared to be younger, though dangerously impassive and quiet, much like her captor.

 _How odd._

Her scarlet hair was draping over her downtrodden features and her face which had been acutely hidden by the darkness now glowing fairly in the candlelight. She began to form dirty blotches along her skin from being inside such a dirty place, tiny slices began to form in her wrists from the metal biting into her skin, and a few licks of blood began to drip down her suspended arms.

"So my men have told me that you were spitting out the food they fed you. Do you _understand_ what you're doing?" Jellal noted as he bit onto his thumbnail, much of his attention absorbed by Erza.

"Not at all." Skeptical and unapologetic she was.

"The other guards that work here have not been trained in respect and conduct as we have. It would be wise not react to them in such a way, Erza." The way he said it was alluding and unclear all at once, and it caused her to think about the inscrutable guard standing right beside him. "I'll be here to monitor the next few courses so that you remain obedient, is that understood?"

The scarlet sun, not as radiant as before, looked away.

"Is that understood?" Jellal repeated, though more heavily this time.

 _Had she really stooped to such an obedient state?_

 _To a man like him?_

 _She looked at him again, the brown flickering in her weak eyes._

"Good. Now bring the meal." Jellal gestured for him to continue.

The guard, now less uptight, had unveiled a metal dinner plate—a freshly cooked meal to taunt her senses. The delicious aroma crept into her nose. Under the plate was: breakfast, scrambled eggs, bacon, bread, all of which smelled extremely delectable. She assumed it was morning. That was the only way she could tell, as the darkness didn't seem to do any favors in telling the time around here.

"Im not eating." Spoke the woman flat out, obdurately tossing her head away from the direction of the food. She wasn't going to depend on him. She wasn't going to be his little puppet, to be the subject of Stockholm syndrome just because of a little tasty slice of bread here and there. The acceptance of even the tiniest acts of his kindness would show how weak she really had been deep inside. "At least not while I'm in here."

He scoffed at the inner martyr she pretended to be. "And why is that?"

"If I pass out, maybe it will give you some sense as to what you're doing to me." She muttered, the compliance not strong with her as of late.

"You'll die as the tragic heroine who defied the enemy until the very end. Is that what you really want?"

"What I really want is none of your business." She spoke sharply, condescension dancing on her wearied features and fatigue was seeping into her declining stature.

The ambience in the in the unsympathetic prison cell was quite offsetting to say the very least, and even more so awkward for the guard-servant. His metallic green eyes shifted to his fellow acquiescent to immediately back out of the room, so they he won't receive the same treatment she's about to have.

From what she could see—he's had enough. Maybe her bickering and snarky comments were finally getting to him? The future, in Erza's eyes, didn't look too promising as she found herself alone with him once again—but it wasn't that peaceful type of 'alone' where he would delightfully question her and accompany her solitude. It was that 'you've been a bad girl and you're going to learn your lesson' type of alone.

What was he going to do?

Violate her feminity?

Mentally torture her into submission?

The thought made her shudder.

The guard performed his duty, but the woman would not fulfill her role as efficiently. Erza found herself gagging with a portion of egg being shoved into her lips and coughed through her scratching throat. She to spit the food at Jellal, but such feelings were halted with the weakness of overwhelming hunger.

He eyed her, observing her every move—the way her lips moved and the way the muscles of her throat shifted under the infiltration of food. The fork was brought to her lips gradually, offering her a chance to chew. His Scarlet was the epitome of perfection, she was a warrior goddess encased with remarkable beauty and unrelieved elegance. The way her gorgeous brown eyes burned with passion as she charged into battle, the way she gracefully danced across the battlefield with unique attires and exotic weapons—it was no wonder she was so greatly sought after. But now…she was shackled to his domain as his very private mistress with none such armor or weapons to do her justice.

No one could ever explain how satisfying this was to him.

 _No one._

She struggled against her guard, bothering the master once again.

"This would be so much easier on you if you actually thought to follow my orders. Would you comply if I remove your chains? Would you be less of a pestering child as you are now?"

"If I say anymore, we're just going to spit fire at each other."

"You're right. The wheel of disapproval spins. I insult you, you insult me—the wheel just keeps spinning, and spinning, and it never ends. But you're not in control here, and I'm losing my patience lest you forget that."

"Fine."

"Good." He sighed, as if to calm himself from lashing out on her again.

He nodded at poised guard, awaiting approval of any further action. He seemed to be afraid; she could detect the slightest hint of fear in his eyes as he did so. As the chains were unlocked with the master key, the warden handed him a device that would attach itself to the metallic bars blocking off the entrance to the prison room.

The scarlet beauty wondered aloud, "What are you doing?"

He looked at her for a second then prompted the mage-like guard to exit the cell room.

"Wait...what are you—"

That contraption looked familiar. It…nullified any user who used magic in the room. Did that mean the poison she ingested lasted only for a certain amount of days? Would her magic return if she somehow managed to escape this room? Ideas were lighting up in her eyes as she watched the two overseers distance themselves from her. But before then, as if some insane way of telepathy or mindreading power were available to Jellal's expense, he ripped into the silence.

"I'll know you took a step out of this room. In fact, I'll know it in a heartbeat, and you'll find yourself in a worse circumstance than you are now. Do you understand me?"

She remained quiet. She couldn't argue. She promised to be compliant as long as the chains remained unattached. She then nodded like the good little girl she was.

…

She found it pathetic to be complaining of basic necessities to the guards, but _really_? She didn't even have a bed—only the fortified cement sitting just below her feet. She felt like a child again, the soreness cramping up to her neck and back. They guards wouldn't listen either way. They would aggressively snap at her, or even ignore and just walk away from her incessant questioning.

Two nights later, the same quiet guard came back in again and tossed down a box of what was presumed to be packaged clothing right in front the damsel. His heavily enriched brown eyes glared at her with melancholic malevolence, as if he envied the master's appreciation and devotion to her—to a slave.

He watched her unpack from the entrance of the cell with her now freed hands, the lovely freedom she had once been devoid of. It was a delightful ivory gown, with frills and silk. Was…was this the surprise that Jellal had ready for her?

"This is yours for you to wear tonight. Jellal asks that you have dinner with him in his chambers, and that you be ready within the next hour. Is that understood?"

She paused. Even if she detested the idea of a gift given to her by Jellal, she would still sully the white material with the dirt on her body. She wasn't bathed at all, or the slightest bit cleanly as a matter of face. How could she arrive to an occasion on such filthy bodily conditions?

The caretaker unexpectedly attached a device to her wrist, similar to the one that was clinging to the metallic bars outside her room. She looked at it, then back up at the distanced guard, always somehow precautious of the once mighty Titania.

 _What was she supposed to do?_

"Wait!" She announced, as the guard prompted to leave. "Can I at least get a bath? And comb my hair? And—"

"That is not a problem for me to consider. Goodnight." Coldly he snapped and shut the metal gates on the cell.

Gah, she felt so dirty. She hated it.

…

Her eyes scanned the blackness; her mind kept playing with the idea of using magic, but silently remembered it was a stupid suggestion. A cold breeze scratched at her bare skin, sending a wave of goose bumps a thousand times over, she was instantly reminded of how horribly bare and exposed she was without her armor.

And there the dress was, neatly tucked into the crevice of her underarm as she made her way to the master of the tower. Regardless of her frustration, she kept her pace fixed and unwavering; her body protested hissed and growled, her muscles had been abused to the point where she couldn't possibly think of moving the next morning.

A substantial thought was weighing down her mind—they didn't know she brought a piece of her broken armor along, hidden in her shirt. It was crudely shaped into a weapon and was more than enough to claim a man's life. What if she attacked them? What if she ran and managed to escape?

The dark haired guard was a good distance ahead of her. Could she suddenly make a break for it, without him even watching?

 _But she was so tired…_

Her dangerous thoughts were stopped short when she realized that the guard led her to a washroom, rather than Jellal's selective chamber room. She looked around, confused.

 _Didn't he say he didn't care?_

"Master Jellal has been generous to offer that you take care of your basic necessities before you join with him... Show courtesy by doing this small thing he has asked you to do."

She inwardly gagged. _Master Jellal_? Oh please.

"You have thirty minutes. No more. No less." He reminded the woman spitefully and promptly left.

Her chocolate eyes carefully watched her personal guard click the door behind him, and continued to stare at the blank slate of a door even after the brute had left. _This is was so damn… strange._ She couldn't believe she was actually his prisoner—his slave now. She had to compose herself before making her toilsome trip to the shower bed, separating the shower curtains. Her ratted clothing dropped to a pool around her feet and allowed for the woman to look down at her bare body.

 _How disgusting._

She was covered in bites and marks everywhere, and they were especially frequent in such vulgar areas.

Before she knew it, the steaming water struck her wounds like fire rivets, spreading over the course of her body. Her frail wrists still felt like they were being cut through by a dull knife and the woman thought she was never going to be rid of the pain there.

Or the memory of its symbolic scars.

…

She didn't have the strength to look him in the face, and it constrained her to accept that reality. He was there, turned around to glare at the decorations lavishing the walls in his personal room, to which she silently felt relieved for. A haunting image of the past it was—to look at such scenery where the first initiation of their battle had begun—in the tower of heaven.

Despite the heavy breathing, she was sure he didn't hear her, but that idea quickly dispersed as he addressed her arrival.

"I'm glad you've decided to join me." His rich, silver voice echoed in the chamber room.

She remained still and quiet. _How agonizing it was for her._ Yet she wouldn't admit such words.

"I was told that you were obedient these past few days. Such actions won't go without rewards." He continued, with his back still turned to her.

 _It's not like she had a choice anyway._

…

"Oi. I—I'm not feelin' too good," uttered the fire mage in pure agony, and he gripped at his stomach, the cultivating wad of vomit was mounting his throat.

It was coming.

"Hey what's wrong with this kid?" said one of the sailors, masking his mouth with a hand.

Oh—oh it was gonna come out again! Natsu crawled to the edge of the ship and let whatever hot bile left spew out from his body and into the ocean.

"Afraid of a little water?" Joked a burly man, which led to a domino-effect of laughs on the ship.

If it weren't for motion sickness, the dragon slayer would have picked a fight with each and every one of them for insulting his greatness. While lying like a lifeless fish on the floorboards, he hoisted his head up against the wooden columns, while gripping them with his steadfast hands. His onyx eyes were tiredly staring out into the sea, inert and dull in all its glory.

'Where the hell was she?' he thought again for the hundredth time.

There was only so much travel he could take, and he'd been on this damn voyage for too long. Just then, he regretted not bringing his exceed with him, or at least anyone with directional sense. Or any sort of sense in this case. He wasn't thinking clearly when he strode off into the night, begging a group of sailors to take him on their voyage. He just blanked out. It was like something was telling him to hit the docks and use a ship, despite his motion sickness. He didn't think of anyone else, he just… assumed the worst. But for what? Only Mavis knew.

And he wasn't the type of guy to doubt someone's actions or question their motives…

Was he overreacting?

No one else seemed too worried about her disappearance. Yeah, maybe it wasn't his business but Erza wasn't the type of person to miss out on opportunities like the Grand Magic Games. Hell, even he was going to miss it because of her.

Damn it all!

He let out another groan begrudgingly and his arms heaved his unbearably heavy body so that he lay like a flat rug over the flank of the ship, his head drooping lowly and in depression. This motion sickness really gets to him. Maybe if he brought Wendy along he could've bypassed all the agony of travelling and he'd be A-okay!

Then again… if he brought her along, then he would definitely have a clue what he had been doing that night. But he hadn't. Nothing really made sense.

His eyes tiredly stared and lined the ocean view, until something black and small came up along the horizon. As If struggling against the substantial weight resting in his stomach, he hoisted himself up just enough so that he could rest his knees against the wood and give himself a better view of the object. What made him so curious about the ominous object floating above the ocean was an answer he could possibly never produce, and he continued to observe the blackness that slowly grew in size.

What was this feeling?

It wasn't the motion sickness, it was something else. It was nostalgic yet ominously overwhelming all at he didn't hear her, but that idea quickly dispersed as he addressed her arrival.

...


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright guys, I decided to continue the story line in a more suitable and angst-y route. It's going to get dark y'all. Trust me. So click your seat belts because it's going to become a bumpy ride.**

 **Also, those of who read an earlier form of chapter 10, this one is an extended edited version.**

 **Anyway, happy reading! Love, Locke.**

* * *

Erza scanned the ghastly silent room and noticed the once empty spots by the corridor filled by his menacing guards. They were patiently waiting to strike whenever their master willed it. Erza tiredly looked at her warden, pausing in her buzzing thoughts and took a peek at the nearby pile of white cloth in its sad, disheveled state.

"Your temper was quite a sight to behold," His back turned but the words seamlessly cut into the air. The man had been contemplating her demeanor as if she was some spoiled, unruly, and un-able to be contained child. The side of his face angling just enough so that the green of his eye was visible from behind. He stood there; the beautiful spectrum of mosaics of their surroundings seemingly matched his graceful presence, even though daylight struggled to coat every corner of the chamber area. "Comparable to that of the dragon boy. But I suppose you've gotten better now."

"I think my temper is understandable, be it you, Natsu, or anyone else filling the gaps in my shoes." She retorted, nearing the hauntingly still figure with essentially no fear in her bones. She crossed her arms underneath her sizable chest and looked away. "It's _quite_ understandable regarding everything you've done."

"And what _have_ I done, may I ask?" His body respectfully turned towards the nappy haired woman and canted his head, with heavy conviction in his tone of word. _He knew he did a lot._ A lot of bad things, but he was curious as to how she would speak her mind. He smiled and was half-expectant of another rant to bellow out from the woman's mouth before adding on. "I mean—this is all ultimately your intentions. Is it not?"

"I didn't expect this." She murmured softly. "No one would have expected this." She finished off, doubt and uncertainty was a common recurrence in the aggrieved woman's mind.

Jellal sighed, it was obvious that he had enough of her antics and she his own. He had his next sentence on hold and offered a few signal glances to each of the guards stationed around the room's fortifications, and they all disappeared within half a breath. For a man who loved to have subordinates, he often loved his own privacy. But this was a special occasion on its own, as always for the most interesting woman in the world.

"You look beautiful."

And it _was_ true. This woman had clearly won the genetic lottery by all means. His eyes roved her entirety and noticed how her skin still shined in the dimmest of lights, how her makeup-less face outmatched any artificial mask in the world, how her almost wavy flaming red locks gracefully cascaded around her breathing form, and how the dress faultlessly complimented her body's curves underneath its loose white folds. This woman was always beautifully striking in his eyes. But the fact that she chose to wear the dress made him desire her all the more.

He was before the woman in a matter of seconds, never failing to startle her out of her senses. His agonizingly hot fingers brushed down to cup her cheek, inevitably grabbing her full attention as the hand travelled the soft turn of her shoulder and down the curvature of her spine. The fabric of the dress was soft and refined under his fingertips.

That wry smile was all that Erza could notice when he had addressed her. "Have you decided to wear the dress to gain my sympathy and favor perchance?"

"No…" She paused, her face heating like a boiler. "I did it because I had nothing else decent to wear." After all she had been wearing something very similar to rags.

He laughed softly, amused. "Does that mean you like what I've chosen for you?"

"It means nothing." She retorted without hesitation. Wisps of heat were still in freckled bits on her cheeks, her eyes motioned in another direction whereas her hands rested flatly against his chest, in a defensive position.

He wanted to admire the statuesque body of hers a few more moments before letting his lovely maiden go. "Very well." He detected her satisfaction however, no matter how persistently obvious her denial of it was.

Jellal had instructed to begin her meal, as the food was quickly becoming cold. A short distance from her rectangular end of the dining table, her eyes swam over the mouthwatering food and stopped just when her eyes reached his hands as they had prepped a glass bottle of alcohol. She glanced upwards and caught him glaring back down at her with that satisfied smirk of his.

It was so irritating. But she was so _damn_ hungry.

…

She gently wrapped her fingers around the fragile glass stem holding the liquid. She swished the white substance around in a circle and eyed its movements, so that she wouldn't have to look into Jellal's eyes. There was a mark on her neck, about the size of a coin. It was just under her jaw and revealed itself in swirling colors of blue, purple, and yellow. She wanted to hide it but what purpose would there be? When the only person who was going to see was the one who purposefully sucked the soul out of her body.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there hadn't been much alcohol in her diet for quite a few months. Just a few swigs and off the deep end she went. She took another sip and relished in the taste.

 _Was he trying to intoxicate her this time?_

Even if he did try to take advantage of her, he did have the woman's entire existence at his full disposal. It was painfully clear what his intentions were, so why not make the most of it? Why not enjoy a luxury as it is?

The more she thought about it, the more she was given relatively extravagant food, shelter, and clothing from a ground state of imprisonment, the more she realized that they were doing nothing but keeping her from becoming alienated from Jellal. In fact, it was like he had been forcefully trying to implant a dependence within her. It was as if he were trying to invoke a Stockholm syndrome within their relationship all in order for her to swear allegiance to him.

And for what purpose?

What was all of this for?

The woman cursed under her breath. All of her problems would be solved if she had even an ounce of magic to spare. Erza regrettably carried no weapons around; she thought they were too much weight and a waste of time to hold on to. Reequip magic allowed the knight to temporarily carry weapons or armor for the duration of the battle and store it back into "slots" once she desired it so. And from what Erza can deduce, there was no battle before the time at which she was abducted, so it was impossible for her to carry around any deadly objects during her stay here, much less summon one with the nonexistent magic she already had.

Though she had these thoughts many, many, times throughout the day, or what she considered the day, she kept coming to end of the same, unfavorable conclusion: she wasn't strong enough. Even if she did luckily come across a weapon to use against Jellal, what good would it do for her? A simple, hand-crafted knife? He'd only laugh at her. He knew how to put up a good fight, and she knew he could destroy her, even without the use of his insanely powerful magic.

Erza didn't know what to do, say, or even think—this situation had her stuffing in her own breaths. And it was better this way because one wrong word and she could possibly have a knife at her throat.

Wait… wait…

Nervously she began padding herself in different clothed areas simultaneously.

Speaking of knives…

Something deep, heavy, and difficult to swallow was building up in her throat the more she realized what she wanted to be on her body clearly wasn't going to be there. She left her makeshift weapon back in the washroom.

 _How…_

 _How stupid_ could she really be!? What if they found it? If they did, it would drop her chances of ever escaping to a bare zero percent. Inwardly she panicked, but persisted with all her might to maintain composure.

Jellal was staring at her skeptically before the woman realized what she'd been doing with her hands. A silver coated fork was suspended in his hand under his intense scrutiny of the woman. Awkwardly, she fumed with the most innocent voice she could muster. "Ahh—I... I just wanted to see if the dress fit me right. That's all."

There was the lightest upturn of his lip. "I thought you said you didn't care for it, my little dove?" His eyes continued to stare at her from across the seabed of food carefully arranged on the table.

"Well I—" Erza started, trying her damned best not to blow her cover. "Still respect a gift be it friend or foe."

His dark green eyes flickered under a small sliver of light as he continued to inspect her carefully.

He was always a watchful one.

Nevertheless, he accepted the excuse and continued to consume his meal, as it had been a cue for Erza to continue hers as well. She made sure she wasn't making any questionable movements as she thought about where she could have possibly left the weapon. She cut her meat into small slivers and chewed each one politely.

Was it on the dresser? Was it on the floor, somewhere inside the bathroom?

She couldn't have left it in her cell because she was sure she brought it with while following her guard. It had to be in the bathroom somewhere. Most logically it would be in the pile of old clothes she had left near the bathtub.

Mentally berating herself, she took another sip of Champagne.

 _Not even Mavis could fix my level of stupidity,_ she thought.

She continued with a change of subject and spoke to the man neatly slicing through his arranged fish fillet. "You know you really didn't answer my question."

"About?" He replied calmly after finishing a well-mannered bite and wipe, watching his fish fillet as if it were about to flop off of his plate and dive back into the ocean.

"About the purpose of everything that's going on." She abruptly shot out of her seat and slammed her fists against the table linen, much aggravation ringing in her voice. She really didn't care if the white lace of her attire sadly collided with the open sea of food on the table. "Why did you bring me here? What's the real reason?"

"You'll know soon enough." That was the best answer he could give and the worst possible explanation in her eyes. "And finish your food. Everything here was cooked to perfection, so why not show some kindness to those that prepared it for us?"

"Yeah?" She challenged him, "What if I don't?"

His smoky green eyes shot her another piercing glare, clearly he'd given up on trying to lighten the mood between them. "You know what'll happen if you don't finish your meal."

She cleared her throat. Okay. Maybe she didn't want to get backhanded again.

This was now her fourth glass, letting the taste sit on the center of her tongue for a few moments. It burned with an after wave of sweetness, and then the carbonation once again burned the length of her throat.

 _This was delicious._

It was like the taste increased every time she poured more in.

She took another mouthful and swallowed. Another. And another.

 _Was he trying to sway her in with food and affection?_

 _Was he going to take her for the first time tonight?_

 _Is that what this is all for?_

He was definitely planning something tonight.

Her heart beat was frantic and vigorously pumped blood into her cheeks. She wasn't sure if it was the constant induction of alcohol or her hormones that caused her to get so hot and giddy inside. She forced herself to sudden halt, staring at her palms to give herself composure from this horrid intoxication. The lines that contoured her skin that were once in detail from her perspective now blended into the pink matte of her color, and she figured that she was now beginning to lose focus.

A violent temptation was pulling her in again. She wanted literally wanted to pull the table cloth from right under the entire collection of delicacies.

 _Would all the china plates shatter against the stone tiles?_

 _Would all the champagne splatter and seep into the cracks to be never tasted again?_

 _Everything would be such a mess… how would Jellal react to it?_

She looked up at Jellal who was eyeing her curiously again. She wasn't at the point where she could go on a rampage, but just looking at that face—was enough to make anyone mad. She took another bite of carefully sliced meat, chewing softly, the rich texture and seasoning melted on her tongue—a much softer experience on her taste buds in contrast to the champagne.

A gush of furious air blew through her nostrils and she continued to consume her own meal. If she were a younger girl, the entirety of this situation would've blown her mind right of the water. She was having a dinner date with the man she loved and was actually living with him—though not in specific terms. He told her he loved her every day and showered her with compassion and touches.

But this was reality…

This is not a happy ending that a little girl could possibly dream of.

She was being used for lesser purposes.

 _She was a hostage._

"So tell me, Erza, how have you been these past few days? Made any new friends with my men? I hope that they've been friendly with you." He asked amid the silence, his chin resting on his hand. He offered her his absolute attention. She chewed for a bit and swallowed the remnants of the meat in her mouth. "My dearest needs the care and respect she deserves in this tower."

"Nah. I haven't and I'm not going to."

"Oh come now, don't be that way." He cooed, the tattoo on his cheek shifted over his dimming smile. He called the name of a guard that so happened to be the one that was closely watching over Erza while Jellal'd been gone festering in his activities. It was the guard with the dark brown eyes and hair. The one that hated her because of who she was. What did he call him? Mar… Marco or something?

Her eyes followed up his body and lasted on his face, with much resent flowing in her eyes as they were for Jellal. His own enriched, twin brown eyes stared down at her with as much hate and disgust. He looked awfully rugged and disorganized to be a guard that Jellal once employed in the past. She could sense a dark magic emanating from his body—something she could rarely feel from her own body nowadays—and paused.

 _It was dark magic._

 _Was he a dark guild member?_

Now that she thought about it more, all the guards felt like they had some kind of deeper magic coming out of them.

 _Where had Jellal gotten these men from?_

 _Nothing made sense._

 _…_

Last time Juvia saved them from contamination. But now, he had immediate skin to water contact and found himself struggling to find the sailor's ship. He mentally slammed himself into a wall started swimming back to the surface of the big blue. The ship was almost out of sight and his dark eyes squinted in the glaring sunlight, spitting saltwater out of his mouth.

He lay there, floating, waiting for the poisonous waters to seep in.

Nothing happened.

Usually there would be dead birds and other once live creatures infesting the tower's surrounding waters, but now that he took a moment to look around—there was nothing dead. The air wasn't toxic either and definitely not when the ship got close to the island. And with that, he began stroking against the tides, towards the tower that never seemed to get any closer.

Man did he wish Happy was there, floating above the shores of the island with his usual, optimistic and candy-like attitude.

He scanned the threatening structure with more of a 'Are there still people here?' rather than an 'I should be scared of this thing I should get away' look. It appeared deserted and it sounded as quiet as a beach with roaring waves crashing against a rocky spread. As he climbed on the familiar bend, looked around and hoped that he wouldn't get jumped by enemies. It's not like that would happen, but _anything_ was possible in this hectic world.

Being here was so nostalgic. Wasn't this place supposed to be destroyed? How is it still floating on the middle of the ocean? Everything felt the same as before but last time he'd been with his friends. He was alone now and there was no turning back because that overbearing smell of hers was getting even stronger.

…

"So who are all these little pets you've found this time?" She continued with slow drawl. Champagne wasn't really meant to get a drunken sensation from—it was more for celebration. But Erza was going to get much of what she can from her old life. "I don't see Ultear or Meredy around anywhere." She glanced around the once empty now guard filled room, the darkness that is alcohol beginning to seep into her judgment. "Don't—don't tell me." Erza gasped in a pseudo-surprised manner, placing a palm to her mouth. "You've betrayed them too, haven't you?"

"Don't be so ridiculous. I haven't betrayed them and they haven't betrayed me." He took a sample of his age old wine with no such worry, "If we always betrayed each other when our views differed, then what kind of world would this be?"

She snorted at this. "A realistic one? Ultear didn't sound too insistent on being buddy-buddy when she spoke of you. Besides, wouldn't they be here if they agreed with what you were doing?"

He eyed her plate and asserted dominance in his voice, "You should finish your meal Erza. I'd rather see meat on you than the smell of alcohol in your breath."

A look of contempt splashed along her reddening features, she had been disgusted with the man seated across the table for a long while now. He was ghastly beautiful but quite repulsive on the inside, and he was so manipulative and cunning that she detested him for falling for his impossibility. She swallowed a breath before regarding her warden once again. "You always dance around my questions. Is it really that hard to fully answer them?"

"Like I said—our views differ and it wouldn't be worth mentioning."

"No. You never tell the truth. You say the right words—but they're not _right_. You never do Jellal."

"Erza." His eyes were sharp into her soul, his patience already thinning.

"I'm tired of being your little slave." Erza bluntly said, rising to her feet and the drunkenness doing nothing but spurring on her emotions. Her bloody red hair draped over her sullen, faded features.

"Erza." An exhausted and angry voice repeated again.

"I'm tired of being treated like an animal, like some damn dungeon rat that was never meant to see the light of day. I'm tired of all of this! I'm tired, Jellal. I'm tired of _you_!"

"Calm down." His voice filled with intimidation, his body braced for action, yet it was cool and calm. He was vehemently insistent that she sat back in her seat, and tore his meal apart with strangely forceful utensil movements—as if he's venting his anger out onto the metallic objects.

Then again, he was partially to blame for letting her drink that much.

She took that as a dare and heatedly took a plate and chucked it straight toward Jellal. The fork was nearing his open mouth ready to bite onto a piece of meat, before having to duck just in time for the glass to crack into a thousand shards against the wall directly behind him.

The guards hadn't been in sight for quite a while now, so she continued to engage in her furious rampage. Erza was tossing dinner plates left and right. The food and glass shattered in cohesion along the stoned tiles, resounding ear splitting noises in the giant echo-reverberating dining hall.

Jellal abruptly stood up, his jaw tightening, and was ready to pounce on her at any second. He knew to never to expect full compliance from a woman as reckless as Erza.

Every time she looked upon his face, his long reaching tattoo and billowing navy locks, she swallowed hard. Her throat constricted with ache and sadness in her heart, realizing she'll never have the kind and passionate Jellal ever again. She grabbed one neatly placed arrangement after another, with explosive intentions and thoughtless rage and sadness. She grabbed a wine glass and threw it at Jellal who effortlessly dodged the second projectile. The loud crash and splatter of glass and alcohol was all that could be heard, as it smashed (once again) against the wall that was behind him. The room smelled delicious, and it still did. But it just didn't _look_ as delicious anymore.

Her rampage was cut short when the breath was knocked right out of her. She found herself trapped by two hard-bodied guards that forced her stand awkwardly in place. One of them happened to be her personal grudging guard that struck her a little more than need be to tame the situation. Jellal himself could've done it. He definitely could've done it. But why do anything when you've got minions who do the dirty work for you?

Maybe he just wanted to see the all perfectly composed Erza break down without having to do anything.

"Only one will do for now. She's not as strong as she used to be."

If she had more strength she would've barked an insult at him for his comment, but rather almost on the verge of tears from the pain of her lock down (and also the tipsiness of her drunken state). The brute for a guard volunteered to lock Erza's arms in place by cuffing them by her underarms and forcibly leaned her body at an upward angle so that she could properly face the consequences. She was still a tough one—squirming and still jotting herself angrily with the weakness in her body.

Defeated, soulless eyes were wide open in distress. He clutched onto her chin with monstrous force, forcing her attention in his direction with frustration. She whimpered at the pressure he put on her jaw, sudden contempt crossed her features. She noticed his lucent eyes falter a little as they stared down into her pained caramel ones, her very soul. It almost—almost—seemed as if he was going to provide some reasoning behind his actions. His thumb wiped the wetness away, as more would come dripping down her cheeks.

"Now now, don't cry. I thought you were stronger than this?" He dangerously smiled, his suave voice filling the cold and frigid air around her ears. "Surely you thought of the consequences of what you have just done, haven't you?"

She told herself that crying was the least acceptable thing to do and especially before Jellal's prying eyes. But that didn't stop a tear or two from seeping out. She wanted to look away, but those fingers just kept her there. "Go ahead and punish me." She spat out irately. "I don't even care what happens to me."

His eyes narrowed, and continued calmly. "Are you asking to be punished?"

She glared up at him with much malice in her intent.

He cast down at her gracefully with his piercing, soul stealing, profoundly hazel-green eyes. Green was supposed to represent peaceful and earthlike spirits, but rather proved to be unwelcomingly ominous as was his true nature. He signaled for his brute of a guard of his intentions.

"Sir." The guard nodded, loosening his grip on her weak arms.

The warden of the tower spared no further acknowledgement to his subordinate guardsman as he allowed him to remove his hands from the girl. His cat like eyes joined her perplexed ones once again as if he were already bored with him, though continued to speak in a displeased tone towards Erza.

"Clearly you are." Before Erza had a chance to react, she found her face surrounded with compelling force and pain that craned her head backwards. His two fingers roughly clasped onto her cheekbones like a crabs unrelenting claw and slammed her head onto the dining table. "I'm going to teach you what it means to be obedient." His hand swiped any remaining residue that lingered on the table, all the while driving her body against the hard surface.

Erza's head began pounding with each heartbeat—like a hammer mashing against her head with rhythmic tempo. Her eyes sealed shut on reflex so that she could at least dim out the awful aching in the postern of her skull. She was increasingly frightened for her life because she knew that Jellal… Jellal was growing bold, and with each passing day he would become more vicious and oppressive with his intentions.

 _How was it possible that he could revert back to someone even less than the Jellal of the past?_

His shadowed face was even less discernable with lights down casting over his sharp features. "Or need I remind you what happened here fifteen years ago?"

 _Of course she knew._

 _But it wasn't the eye he was talking about. It was something else. It was something another guard had done._


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNING, Lemon included in this chapter. But if you're still reading and made it this far, might as well read ;)**

 **A bit of a short chapter, but it does well with content.**

 **Enjoy, my lovely readers.**

 **(PS, cliff hangers everywhere)**

* * *

As if narrating a story in a fruitful voice, he gave the woman his utmost attention. "Here I stand witness to the most horrible scene in my childhood. But I know it was worse for you. I couldn't do anything but hear you—Erza. I heard everything. I just watched through the crack of the chamber doors, helpless and afraid through these childlike eyes of mine."

Strangely, under all the pressure—his knuckles tenderly brushed her cheek and tucked a fiery red lock behind her ear.

"Jellal… stop…" Her eyes widened in disgust. She thought… she thought that skeleton would remain forever buried.

 _How… could he have known?_

She closed her eyes to reduce the pain .She didn't want the remorse to shine like a beacon in her eyes.

She felt the stress of her past coming back to envelop her in a horrible chokehold, but she couldn't allow for that to happen again.

"Look at me! I want you to open your eyes and look at me when I'm speaking to you." He demanded, his left hand excruciatingly tightened its grip on her wrists. She obliged so hesitantly. Her endearing chocolate eyes flew right open, to the memory that always remained rich with detail in her mind.

Jellal continued, his voice lowering to a harsh whisper, and kept his eye contact with the stone cold woman. "He strapped you down just like I did. Right on this table. He held your hands over your head—just like this." Jellal hauled a sash from his dark ensemble and gripped her hands, knotting them together in a cloth-like mess. He imitated the actions of his wordplay without fail. He tilted his head, the line of his lips thinning even more.

The memory was just as vivid in his head, as was hers.

His mouth came closing in for a kiss, but only grazed against hers as she angled her face away. In retaliation, they brushed against her jawline and down her white porcelain neck. His fingers desperately roamed her curves and winding roads with indecent intentions as they gave way to vile memories from the past.

"He started touching you, like this—" His dark brooding features was all she could focus on, and maybe not even that. The way he felt around her body was disgusting enough to make the woman shut out all sorts of senses attacking her skin. His hands hungrily made their way up along the small of her back to the tip of her spine, and then unzipped the white dress as the final curtain.

She had thousands of shivers all over her body as the cold air began to lick more areas of skin. His hips pressed against her legs, as thighs and the rest lay handing past the edge of the wooden dining table. He gripped the hem of the cloth that gently kissed her ribs and pulled downwards. He made an effort not to ruin it, as it was a gift he made himself out to get.

"Of course, he won't treat you as well as I can—" He paused, menacingly and loving all at once. It was such a strange combination of traits in a human being.

 _But was he really human?_

"Please—Stop… Jellal." She begged with all her being. This was probably one of the most traumatic experiences in her childhood and this cruel man was using it against her.

"You haven't learned your lesson, my little dove." He strung his words wickedly, his playful and corrupted voice cleaved through the eerie quietude as if he'd finally been awarded with entertainment on platter. "So why? Should I stop only because I reminded you of what happens when you disobey?" Jellal had never felt such a pleasant rush of adrenaline course through his system, he wanted her to be scared of him, to fear him, to revere his power, and he could even blame it on this new yet overly familiar sensation that bore into his body. His body—his soul, craved for power.

He craved it now more so than ever, and that frame of mind that was now his new supplementary urged on to teach her a lesson. A lesson that would mean she would only dare turn him away if she considered her life worthless.

Her heavy pants were all that he could get out of her. He didn't mind it however. He loved seeing her like this. That haunted expression of hers was more than enough for Jellal to get a hard-on

Her soft lips finally opened up for him.

"How can you be so cruel?" She glared at him with a tearful expression, on the verge of a breaking point. He always wanted drag the almighty Titania down from her egoistic pedestal, and this was probably as close he'll ever get to dehumanizing her.

Jellal had no answer for her, however. Only a fierce kiss to be planted on her lips. He gave her kiss after kiss until he received them back—only then would she be offered even a single gasp for air. He didn't want to torment the girl for the sake of it, however.

He wanted her.

He wanted power over her.

He wanted her to swear allegiance.

He wanted to teach her a meaningful lesson, no matter how harsh the reality. And if she suffers, then so be it.

The woman let out a soft whimper as he roughly gripped her hips and pulled down her underwear. And for the first time, she was glad her hands had been restrained so that she wouldn't have to hold onto Jellal. She desperately wanted to latch onto the man but felt awful that the very idea of it sprung up in her mind.

The familiar buzz of the alcohol that had spread throughout her body and was already beginning to disperse. The heat never left, and Jellal wasn't helping either. His beautiful and terrifying face was looming close to hers, smirking.

 _He was a demon._

She gasped. His searing hot fingers had tightly gripped and rubbed her warm, creamy soft legs, and he held them wide apart. He stroked her satin, lustrous locks, and another hand wrapped around her waist, it gently caressed her skin with longing desire. He reveled in such a beautiful sight, in such a foolish but beautiful girl.

…

The halls were much more ominous than before, he thought. They were just as confusing though, as they seemed like a never-ending, winding maze to the top of the stronghold. Black rectangles would intrude the walls and occasionally leading to another dead end pathway, but his nose knew the right way to go.

He knew Erza was here.

She needed his help and he knew it.

…

His now muscled torso was suspended above her just as nude body. He glared down at her flushed face, and couldn't help but grin. He'd already finished inside her twice. Erza orgasmed just as often, if not more and loved every moment of it, just as Jellal had.

Her heavy pants could be heard in the giant ocean of a dining room. He closed in for heedless kisses, one after another. He released her lips, heeding to her almost faintly state. After he gave Erza moments to catch her breath, he crushed into her plump lips yet again, as she could only whimper and moan in arousal.

He will never be satiated with just her body. He hungered for her defiant mind. He hungered for her confidence, creativity, brevity, and her existence.

He hungered for her _soul._

Boundless red locks were scattered and disheveled as they radiated towards the edges of the massive table. Her body was a sweaty mess and covered in slick liquid on every patch of skin. And her eyebrows seemed like they would be forever knotted into an embarrassing disapproval.

She involuntary let out a harsh gasp when his long finger rubbed her clitoris in a rhythmic motion. Intense pleasure was radiating from her womanhood once again, every time his finger rolled against her pink bead. She had no strength to maintain her sounds anymore. But it didn't matter because no one else was around to judge her.

Her groin constricted as she remembered the full length being inside—stretching and forcibly pulling at her innards. Her chocolate eyes caught a glimpse of his still throbbing member form the periphery of her vision and realized that he wasn't done yet. And so neither was she.

Jellal loved to hear her flustered moans just as much as he loved to see her naked body squirm under him. His groin twisted and turned almost painfully for her, the orgasm of his dearest was still fresh in his mind. He definitely wasn't done fucking her yet. He was actually never going to be done with her. She was much too desirable for him.

"I know you want me, just say it." He murmured softly in her ear.

His voice sent ripples of sensitivity down her body and reflexively sunk her head into shoulders, trying to shrug his face away.

He had no resistance as he positioned himself before her opening. Her body heaved up and down; the long red locks that shrouded her face were slick with sweat. "Just say that you love me. Because if you do…I promise I'll give you the world. Just the two of us."

"What kind of world consists of-of only two people?" She managed to gasp out.

"A perfect one, my dear Erza."

She was all his. Completely his now.

Her slit was heavily slicked and coated in juices from both bodies, he gave it a good inspection and deemed it ripe and ready for a third taking. He guided his cock to her entrance. He teasingly glided it along her glossy lips, but not too far. He wanted to see if she was really going to beg for him, to say those words that he longed for. Jellal had been watching her like a hawk, waiting for any sort of response. Any kind of movement.

Anything.

He couldn't wait anymore. He wanted to be in that tight, hot crevice that was ready to suck him in again. Without another moment's notice, he hoisted her legs and laid them over his shoulders. The lust brimmed man groaned, he paused to adjust to this glorious, unbelievably tight feeling that overwhelmed him, regardless of how much he had rammed into her. Her body molded to him perfectly, lock and key. Erza gasped when she caught up with her voice. Her cry rang through the air and echoed the down the eerie hallway, she moaned for the whole world to hear, for Jellal to relish in his final achievements.

Her eyes stung with anguish; they tickled and itched as they streamed down her cheek. It was deniably blissful and dreadful all at once for lovely little Erza. She accepted him regardless.

He roughly to pounded inside her slick core; crudely he pulled out and slammed back in. As his massive force drilled deep inside, it knocked the breath out of her lungs. She could feel it pulsing inside of her, as if it were ceaselessly growing by the second.

Jellal growled. He impaled her womanhood without mercy, driving more force into his thrusts. His claw-like fingers seized her breasts and gripped them brutally; her savory skin was on fire under his touch. Her lusty moans reached his ears, her watery eyes shut tight. The stretched name of her lover escaped her lips, and her weak wide hips convulsed every time his firm pelvis rammed into her opening.

"Ahh—Ah…Ah!"

Her cries were chopped on every instant he slammed into her. His rigid cock stiffened with each thrust.

She was too delicious. The corrupted mage assaulted her relentlessly, wave after wave. Her inner folds lubricated his length, coating and wrapping it with its own natural fluids. Her outer folds latched his long member as he pulled out, and hugged it as he plunged his way back into her warmth.

Jellal casted his body over hers, his rugged chest flattened her colossal breasts. Her rock hard peaks rubbed against his body, back and forth, they flailed and bounced violently as he continued his erratic movements. Jellal had to admit that she felt really good, even though someone else arrived before him, he would make the most of her. He wouldn't be the first, but will be her last lover. Only he would have daily access to her goods.

He placed a violent kiss upon her lips, one truly driven with possession. Her sweet taste plated his mind, his hungry wet muscle traveled past his mouth and to her inner cave. The slickness explored her inner opening, dancing with her own tongue as he simultaneously pounded her second hole.

Slowly but surely, the pressure was starting to build up.

…

What could I possibly do!?

He could smell her!

 _He could smell that damn stink off Erza like no one else!_

…

"Do you know why… why that happened Jellal?" Her breath felt like lead in her throat.

She glared at him for a second, hoping he would realize. Jellal narrowed his eyes in scrutiny of the unpredictable woman.

"I was the one who offered, Jellal."

"You…what?" This remained the only instance where he let himself go, and he's not sure why. Jellal was the type of man who would always remain calm and collected and especially when he held himself in Erza's presence. He never lost control for her, he never displayed such a release of emotion. And this new, yet familiar sensation had manifested in his being from the void, it completely released his trigger, and crushed his composure."

"I was willing to give up something precious of mine, and I would receive something in return. That is how the deal went."

His body straightened up above her, his hands at either side of the woman's delicate face. She looked up at him with those soft, passionate brown eyes. Sweet, Erza. Innocent, sweet little Erza had been willing to give up her virginity so that her friends would be given extra rations of food, so that they wouldn't starve to death.

"Erza… you were only eleven."

His jaw tightened. For the first time, Erza made _him_ feel perplexed. Unable to control his emotions.

"But the thing is Jellal… you're doing exactly what that guard had done."

"I'm not— "

"Yes Jellal!" She whispered harshly, a true reality for the man before her. He was finally realizing. She reiterated once more, in a weaker voice. "You're doing _exactly_ what he had done."

How could she have let someone do that to her? How could she be so… so…? His self-control was completely shattered. Before Jellal could have done anything else to her, he tentatively turned his head sideways to listen to occasional explosions resounding throughout the tower.

"Your friend is here." He murmured quietly, but expectantly as well. He redressed himself and ordered Erza to stand up immediately. He gave her the cue to get dressed as well, as anyone walking into a situation such as this would cause quite the embarrassing scene.

Erza didn't know how to react around Jellal. She vowed she would never tell him but… it didn't really matter what he thought of her anymore.

 _What was he going to do?_


	13. Chapter 13

**I apologize for the short chapters, but I've got to keep my readers interested somehow. :)**

 **I'm warning you that this is truly where the angst kicks in.**

 **Keep reading if you want, but like I've said.**

 _ **Brace yourself.**_

 **Enjoy. ~Locke.**

* * *

Jellal quickly cupped her hand in a hardy grip and guided her to an adjacent cell room, along the walkway of the corridor she had passed through earlier. She stumbled trying to keep up with his impatient pace, managing to sneak a quick glance at him through the soft glow of the lights overhead. Beside his ghastly, hungry looking eyes, she noticed that there was a hint of irritation masking his features. He looked on ahead, as if plotting something beyond her comprehension.

They… they just had sex. But he wasn't done with her yet.

Part of her was glad Natsu was here. And part of it wasn't.

She wanted to finish too.

She shook her head. _How could she be so disgusting?_

As if Jellal had read her mind, he squeezed her hand tightly and lead her through the cell's open gate, the rest of the structure generically closed off with metallic columns. He promptly grabbed one of the suspended chains and locked her weary wrists. Her eyes widened at the sound of the rusty click that ensured her timeless imprisonment.

"Jellal…" She breathed, the air in her lungs weighing down like lead. Her entire body was pulsing when he looked down at her, and the woman couldn't help but collapse under the weight of her body. Her mouth had a difficulty of remaining closed in her state of shock. "What are you doing?"

He only glared down at her, his merciless expression unchanging.

"Jellal… please, tell me!" She had begun to panic, knowing that this man was capable of anything. And Natsu was coming.

"Please don't hurt him… he only wants—"

His tall frame crouched before her and cupped her cheek, interrupting the woman from her wants and wishes. "He only wants to take you from me." He finished, ferocity gleaming in his hazel-green eyes. His thumb gently caressed her skin, tilting his head with an awful pulse of desperation and possessiveness in his being. She could feel it.

He was going to do something awful.

Without any preceding caution, he grabbed the sash that was dangling around her arms previously and tightly wrapped it around her mouth. His hands reached the back of her head and knotted the cloth cleanly, brushing against her gentle terrified face before straightening his composure. He could hear her whimpers through the cloth, knowing that he wouldn't have done this to her. She was already his.

But this was necessary.

The man had been turning to the exit, signaling for the guards to leave it unlocked from the outside. The crisp yet stale air of the dimmed cell room fluttered about, and was thrust in from past the rusted metallic rods that prevented escape.

Her muffled scream stopped halfway, before detecting the muscles underneath his skintight armor shift. Erza flinched reflexively and gasped slightly. Her heart raced at the thought provoking Jellal, who was impulsive and unpredictable in any given situation. His hood was down with a fully viewable face, back turned away from her, but his chin, his lips, nose mouth, and his devilishly green eyes—they were glancing backwards from the side to take a last time peek at the special prisoner he had chained to his cell.

She remained quiet, the candlelight flickered into the nothingness that she was. She was slowly suffocating. She succumbed to him. She was weak willed. She was disgusting. And now she was going to be responsible for something much more disastrous. When Erza was sure the horrible black mage was far enough not to notice anything, she allowed the tears to stream down her cheeks.

He was going to kill Natsu.

….

Natsu had no problem rinsing his hands with the bodies of the guards who loitered the tower like roaches. The flames crackled and burned through each victim that dared to lay in his path of destruction. Anyone who willingly stood between him and Erza was considered an enemy, and he had no problem getting rid of them. Level after level, he did not grow weak, but stronger in his resolve for reaching the top.

But she wasn't at the top. She was somewhere lower this time. Her distinct scent streamed thickly into his nose, and its source—a level just above his current position. He was going to find her hidden away somewhere for a reason beyond him, and she was going to be there waiting for him. Just a little longer and she would have all the answers he needed.

That Zeref-worshipping scum was holding her. He didn't have to second guess it. He always knew where his true allegiances always lied—even through his meager gifts and acts of kindness. Giving him flame in his battle against Brain. Becoming a part of an anti-dark magic guild. Granting his team, a source of second origin. He knew. He always knew never to trust that guy.

"Scum!" He raged, a flame empowered fist sent a ripped-looking guard soaring through the dim lit corridor and into a dark abyss. His obvious rage rippled through his punches, body slams, and explosions of flame, and found his body gaining more momentum the closer he got to Erza.

He just wanted her safe, he seethed while the smoke billowed through his nostrils visibly—as a real dragon's would have. Aiming his fist at the ceiling, he coursed magic through his palms without a drop of hesitation and blasted through the layers of concrete. his onyx eyes darted the chamber room from side to side and noticed its nostalgia. It strangely smelled of freshly eaten food, but it was smeared and splattered everywhere.

Her scent led outside, and the source of smell was sitting dormant. Somewhere off, and secluded. Glass crunched under the sole of his sandals as he made his way to Erza, with much hope vibrating in his body. She wasn't far off now. He knew it.

"Erzaaaaa!" He roared in the distilled quietness that was this tower. He waited. There was nothing. He once more screamed into the unrequited whirr of the endless corridor and was met with silence once again. He fruitlessly waited again. He would always wait for her.

She was his role model.

She was the one who gave him strength.

She was the one who kept his spirits high.

Just then, he barely heard a soft mewl reach his ears. She was so close! He jutted his body off into a sprint and into the darkness from which the sound came from. He came to a halt when there were two guards suspiciously standing before a cell's entrance.

"Give Erza back to me!" He roared at them, a lion's steel lungs he had. His limbs lit up with bright orange undulating flames, stretching violently towards the ceiling. The two men were obviously prepared and unsheathed crude daggers, even though they could never deflect a magic as powerful as his sea of fire. Through the cell bars, he could see her dark slumped form near the back wall. That was enough motivation as he split the distance between the guards and sent their bodies into the opposing wall. Their bodies cracked and snapped against the concrete, creating deep craters with the immense force that the dragon slayer had released.

He gripped the entrance grate and ripped it off its hinges.

 _He finally found her._

"Erza…" Natsu exhaled, relief setting in his tone of voice. He walked towards her with grave vulnerability in his steps. He was so tried. But he was so glad she was there, safe and sound. The shadowy contours of her body wavered under the candlelight and became more defined as he drew near. "Let's get you out of here!"

He almost laughed at the thought of it. So much trouble, all for Erza. He was going to get payback for all this shit had to do to get her back safely. He quickly sauntered over to the restrained Erza, whimpering with heavy set tears in her eye. She looked like she had been crying for a long time. He eagerly reached down to release the cloth's hold over her mouth.

He was definitely going to have answers. But that would be saved for their journey back to magnolia. Right now he needed to get her out of here. She was shaking her head desperately at his touch, her voice muffled by the heavy cloth restraint. The moment that sash left her lips, Erza wasted not even a single second in warning her friend.

"Get out of here Natsu!" She croaked in her hasty, worn down voice. There was a hint of defiance in her voice, but he knew she just wanted to protect him.

"What do you mean? You crazy?" He growled back at her, violently thrashing and pulling her metal chains, as if they would magically pop off the ceiling. He thought about searing through the metal with his dragon flame and then decided not to. Erza's wrists would be caught in the conduction of heat and be horribly burned. He growled again. He wished Gray was here. He would've been able to freeze and crack the chains right from their foundation. "We gotta get back to the tournament, okay?"

"Natsu…get out of here!" She screamed through her scratched throat. "He's going to—"

But it was too late.

Erza wide-eyed and teary, glared up at Natsu's still form. She had back shocked into still, ghastly silence. A hand savagely tore through his heart, alien magic corrupting every part of his body. His black eyes, wide in horror. He never expected to go down this way. He never expected that his life would end here.

The horrific scene replaying in her mind seemed like it lasted for an eternity.

"You…you knew?" His hauntingly hollow whisper was all that could be heard in the deathly quietude surrounding their still forms. Not a single hair moved. Only voices seemed to have shaken the air.

"Of course I knew." His biting voice murmured from behind Natsu's placid form. As if to rub salt in his wounds, Jellal twisted his spear-like hand inside his chest and caused the boy to shudder with unimaginable pain. He continued with much spite ringing in his voice, alluding his hateful thoughts with his cruel actions on Natsu's body. "I knew that once I had taken Erza, her loyal dog would come looking without much light and clarity in his eyes. And what better place to take revenge than the _tower of heaven_?"

This poor boy… this poor boy only wanted his friend back.

Despite the hole going through both sides of his body, Natsu still found some inner resolve to growl back at him. "I was going to sa—"

"You were going to save Erza?" He finished his sentence, and thought the dragon slayer was comical enough to laugh at his words. He would always be a step ahead of him. "I'm afraid that when history repeats itself, it will end with your body in the ocean this time. Rather than mine." To eagerly conclude the dragon slayer's story, his crudely reeled his arm out and let death take its course.

Blood seeped out of his chest in rivers the moment the hand ferociously ripped back to the empty space outside his body. Natsu barely keeled over in his movement, a weak suction of his lungs was all that could be heard. The last thing Natsu consciously heard was her shrilling scream and Erza's mournful expression. In his waning vision, she was terrified and struggled against her confining chains with all her might to save him. It was ironic how he had come to save her, but now she'd had just tried to do the same. His hand reached out to Erza in a last attempt to call out to Erza. His body collapsed to the dusty concrete with a heavy thud, and what life remained inside had finally seeped out.

Erza's veins were set ablaze, realizing that whatever she had suspected had become reality. She felt something terribly acidic and vile-tasting rise along the pipe of her throat, and quickly she'd shut her mouth and turned away. She wanted to look at anything but the body. She assumed she would never have that picture set in her mind her entire life. She assumed she would never have to see that of any of her friends. She assumed something like this would never happen again after she had escaped the tower long ago.

She paused in her thoughts.

She was never going to see that sincere smile of his again.

She was never going to hear his laugh again.

 _She's never going to see that scarf again._

She glared up at her menace of a captor. He had no remorse. _Clearly_ … no remorse for what he had just done. His impassive face was telling a story quite like that of a psychopath. Her anger had been welling, swelling, ready to burst and suffocate this demon of a man. _She was going to kill him._ She was willing to grind his face against the concrete, willing to rip his limbs from their sockets, willing to slice every packet of skin right from his bone.

She was willing to do anything to shrug Jellal from existence.

She felt her magic slowly return to her. Despite the magic nullification device on her wrist, she felt her power bubbling up inside and ready to be used for battle once again. Could it be her innate second origin overpowering the contraption?

 _Could this really be happening?_

Jellal had an innate ability to read the moods and emotions of others. He could sense this predatory like intent seeping from the chained woman and knew that this would be the end result. But what she thought hadn't mattered at that point. All that had mattered was that Natsu Dragneel be removed from their lives.

 _Silence._

 _A deep, lingering silence that seemed to last lifetimes._

She was glaring up at him. He could see the animosity glowing in her fierce brown eyes, the mixture of grievance and resentment boiling in her countenance, the reluctant retaliation hidden within her movement. She was ready to strike. She was ready to take him down.

They paused for a few moments in each other's wake.

He could picture her coming at him at this very moment. But she didn't, and for the first time, he was grateful for the chains that separated them from each other.

…


End file.
